tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-324926872024-03-18T23:25:19.716-07:00Vegan Eats and Treats!adventures in vegan eatingAmeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.comBlogger1061125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-10200977881835889512021-07-27T22:52:00.003-07:002021-07-27T22:52:41.467-07:00Apricot Picking Adventure! <p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnifQ-kOdcf6yUcmgXGPBh-g6Hi8tRIm5JeAPpXLoYCsBeqWteuhHE6jyaYpdmYq8Fl3Hhh_ZMQKG3loN_qhitbWu82TP42OghF2W7tSTLJ5z_1nGrHWs-MbwBcycRtoqbRwtzg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnifQ-kOdcf6yUcmgXGPBh-g6Hi8tRIm5JeAPpXLoYCsBeqWteuhHE6jyaYpdmYq8Fl3Hhh_ZMQKG3loN_qhitbWu82TP42OghF2W7tSTLJ5z_1nGrHWs-MbwBcycRtoqbRwtzg/w640-h480/IMG_3438.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>BO-NANZA!!</b></div></b><br /><p></p><p>When I was a little girl, we had an old apricot tree in our driveway. I have such fond memories of eating perfect, delicious apricots fresh off the tree. In years when there was a bumper crop my mom would make apricot jam and I loved "helping" her. Eventually the tree got old and died, and apricots were relegated to a mythical place in my heart... I don't know if you've ever had a perfect, fresh apricot straight off the tree, but let me tell you - it is a wonderful thing. It's SO hard to find a good apricot. Forget about the grocery store. Even the apricots from the farmers market are usually disappointing. The thing is, a properly ripe apricot is so extremely tender and short-lived... I imagine it's nearly impossible to market them. So, as a result, I have resigned myself to a mostly apricot-free life.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhvTB6vIXfc_fP3PlYJj9Kjq_QXzVPjN_1gJy8XBWuZWnZ3c6gu8eZoSCM3egLHqFY1iz-t-Xe8hogHg1BkBuv2WLWcCPcnosJYeln0LRYI9jeV9H_bG54x-2K8hBMjw-tPk7cw/s2048/Rascal+apricots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1795" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhvTB6vIXfc_fP3PlYJj9Kjq_QXzVPjN_1gJy8XBWuZWnZ3c6gu8eZoSCM3egLHqFY1iz-t-Xe8hogHg1BkBuv2WLWcCPcnosJYeln0LRYI9jeV9H_bG54x-2K8hBMjw-tPk7cw/w350-h400/Rascal+apricots.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><p>Recently, I had been fondly remembering my apricot-eating days with a few different friends. Remembering that tree in the yard, remembering making jam with my mom... and feeling quite nostalgic about it all. </p><p><i>And then!</i> Out of the blue, one of my yoga students/friends spontaneously sent me a text and invited me to go apricot picking at a top-secret derelict apricot orchard the very next day. Uh, YES PLEASE. </p><p>As you can see… we, uh, picked SO MANY APRICOTS.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWK6yM28ESaoIhQBHKTdnMA_nc6gtnHs14jvSar3xTNTiuP4E8Rp3Hk1YUnX1JPX8Ue1eV9-h8kfmryYTWfTmAuzgzKcW0VyuC63rP-S8pxxMYQMjerUtNBkh7lKURGiqicQflA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWK6yM28ESaoIhQBHKTdnMA_nc6gtnHs14jvSar3xTNTiuP4E8Rp3Hk1YUnX1JPX8Ue1eV9-h8kfmryYTWfTmAuzgzKcW0VyuC63rP-S8pxxMYQMjerUtNBkh7lKURGiqicQflA/w640-h640/Apricots+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>The orchard was part of a much larger farm... in all, the orchard wasn't huge, and it was clear than they hadn't been farming these apricots commercially for some time. The trees were old and sometimes dying. They haven't been pruned, and the fruit hadn't been thinned. Some trees hardly had any fruit, and others were laden with golden beauties! </p><p>It was quite fun! First of all, there were weeds up to our waists!! and sometimes all the fruit was way up high on the highest branches. I even resorted to climbing a tree a time or two. We had a great time and the whole thing felt very adventurous. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhg-b2sTSBLZhMTj3ZtUyztBY86cmzn2l1BIOTQ5aAbR5mJiHcuIdmZ9s-vmCMgukmelSxqZqnV-KZfby_xn3SAdCFkii1CmZPcGyVvVo39HS-8uOsmivWn957IE2kk8MyKj36w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="2048" height="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhg-b2sTSBLZhMTj3ZtUyztBY86cmzn2l1BIOTQ5aAbR5mJiHcuIdmZ9s-vmCMgukmelSxqZqnV-KZfby_xn3SAdCFkii1CmZPcGyVvVo39HS-8uOsmivWn957IE2kk8MyKj36w/w640-h491/Apricots+shaggy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See all the apricots all over the ground?? Isn’t that wild? It was like heaven. Apricots everywhere. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course I asked if I could bring Shaggy because i love taking him on little adventures. I think he had fun? But it was pretty hot and he’s so determined to be WITH ME that sometimes he wouldn’t even go a few feet away to sit in the shade! What a goof. Luckily I brought extra water and he drank plenty and I even poured water on him to keep him cool. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAihV1sBEtOpiwBcI7bCWbE-0Et2NfMoYHRaCXJdM6NJnZl8EGx9-sj0tECgBw529-mXXpjT2syMGXrkFXIgnHbhUQB-5dJgEPHpE0mvLHI19wpDDCxyDtOsXlefvDSgKj_hX8A/s2048/Shaggy+apricots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAihV1sBEtOpiwBcI7bCWbE-0Et2NfMoYHRaCXJdM6NJnZl8EGx9-sj0tECgBw529-mXXpjT2syMGXrkFXIgnHbhUQB-5dJgEPHpE0mvLHI19wpDDCxyDtOsXlefvDSgKj_hX8A/s320/Shaggy+apricots.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It turns out little Shaggy Chunko even likes them! I ate so many that day. Ha ha ha. Sometimes I would tear off a little piece and share it with Chunko and he would very gently take it and gobble it up. CUTE.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8sw7ouLPRSDUKjO3iBRNwlNSWaqtVjbSnQr83md_BEmSKYFD9o6XpXJniDqagXLfyiZ1YtUOmQrqktpX7nREAxF7xHLBgxihyphenhyphenBM441QLOnBHZBw5aOZodeqLspIKleq-R3zf8Q/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="2048" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8sw7ouLPRSDUKjO3iBRNwlNSWaqtVjbSnQr83md_BEmSKYFD9o6XpXJniDqagXLfyiZ1YtUOmQrqktpX7nREAxF7xHLBgxihyphenhyphenBM441QLOnBHZBw5aOZodeqLspIKleq-R3zf8Q/w400-h307/Apricots+picking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How is this even real?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Apricots are beautiful and tender and delicious and amazing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi83wnEHEQumx7IwDFmKxOxi46TVdKz_g-8hMpdREKOwZIK-w44eUkIRCX3DAB0C4Shf42CHEZUlPx6rokfQbcI6FTWSrGAziL5tlCna1loKhhIzmw1BRzSRhY5hpK8nzax3Y8rg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="2048" height="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi83wnEHEQumx7IwDFmKxOxi46TVdKz_g-8hMpdREKOwZIK-w44eUkIRCX3DAB0C4Shf42CHEZUlPx6rokfQbcI6FTWSrGAziL5tlCna1loKhhIzmw1BRzSRhY5hpK8nzax3Y8rg/w640-h491/Apricots+Dishes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A few of the things I made!!</div><div><br /></div><div>The very first night, I got straight to work and made a double batch of <b>apricot jam.</b> I used <a href="https://www.davidlebovitz.com/apricot-jam/" target="_blank">a wonderful and simple recipe from David Leibovitz</a> - it even includes a little dash of kirsch, which I swapped for amaretto. Mmmm So good! Apricot jam is probably my number one favorite jam of all time. I actually ended up making another batch again, because I’ve already given away so many jars. I love canning and I love sharing my goodies. But in the case of apricot jam, I also love eating a lot of it myself.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next thing I made was a big beautiful <b>apricot galette</b> for my yoga teacher and his family. I haven’t made a galette in years - it was so fun to make and offer to my teacher. </div><div><br /></div><div>I shared a lot of my apricots with friends and family - because it was even more than I could eat! - and my beloved pal Jane brought me a basket of her amazing organic strawberries from her farm. Mmm. She told me that her favorite thing to make is a <b>strawberry-apricot crisp</b>, so I copied her and made one for us. Oh it was so good! Mr. VE&T was *very* skeptical about the value of mixing fruits (“wouldn’t just one fruit be better??”) - but with one bite he was a convert. It’s a great fruit combo! </div><div><br /></div><div>Bottom left you’ll see my batch of <b>Apricot Baked Oatmeal</b>. I loooove baked oatmeal! I always use the recipe for <a href="https://kneadingandknives.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/oh-she-glows-cookbook-maple-cinnamon-apple-and-pear-baked-oatmeal/" target="_blank">Apple-Pear Baked Oatmeal from Oh She Glows</a> - and then just use whatever fruit is seasonal and adjust the spices to go with whichever fruit I’ve used. After this batch of 100% apricots, I made another batch with apricots-peaches-and plums — it was EVEN better! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoSlj8C8dQ6VpFBU55skZqrPBKIElyIRl_iKNII872wtImwHQktBBVVYs9uLIGeGHqvNnP_9wlkX_eUxCHPeYiVUbNTiVLOACytClJzndn8jXms9gphGb1Qa1-ZvvFiz-jP1rmA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="2048" height="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoSlj8C8dQ6VpFBU55skZqrPBKIElyIRl_iKNII872wtImwHQktBBVVYs9uLIGeGHqvNnP_9wlkX_eUxCHPeYiVUbNTiVLOACytClJzndn8jXms9gphGb1Qa1-ZvvFiz-jP1rmA/w640-h491/Apricots.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">By now, all my apricots are gone and I miss them already. </div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Apricots will always have such a special place in my heart. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Aren’t they just so beautiful? <p></p></div><div style="text-align: center;">This really was an incredible opportunity and I feel so grateful! </div>Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-90918434483586654102021-07-13T16:26:00.003-07:002021-07-13T16:26:20.074-07:00Vegan Backpacking Adventure and Eats<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuAEiuaq1PcF8IOu4ova8rHO0IVmlhtSqfnCIJijNGTdn2-hKczPcas70awjwAcYWykU7_co2xrzemLc5eiwDSkeyj3gkPP5EAHGJo6tKSoFGJ1jXf5s4uF8oSZIujXSZXsJWLA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1201" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuAEiuaq1PcF8IOu4ova8rHO0IVmlhtSqfnCIJijNGTdn2-hKczPcas70awjwAcYWykU7_co2xrzemLc5eiwDSkeyj3gkPP5EAHGJo6tKSoFGJ1jXf5s4uF8oSZIujXSZXsJWLA/w640-h582/in+my+tent.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Oh Hello!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(disclaimer - I wrote this post last year but never published it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I thought it would be helpful in case any of you are planning camping trips too!) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have you ever gone backpacking? I go camping every year, but we usually stay in tent cabins, which is quite delightful... we even have a little wood-burning stove and we can bring all the books and scrabble games we want. But this year, our favorite campground is closed because of covid. I was feeling sad to miss out on my beloved mountain time, when a yoga student/friend of mine invited me to join her for backpacking in Yosemite! YES. It was a a big adventure for me, as I had only gone backpacking one other time in my whole live -when I was just 16 years old. In a lot of ways, this felt like my first time ever.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Packing all my food, gear, clothes into one pack, and having to carefully consider the weight of everything I brought was a whole new experience for me! I was very lucky to have many kind and loving friends who were happy to trust me with their gear. I literally couldn't have done it without them! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had a couple truly perfect and sublime days on our trip, an Extreme Smoke Experience from the wildfires, and then one smoky-but-worth-it day. In the end, we came home one day early, due to all the smoke... but it was still a<b> grand adventure </b>and we both felt that we got a bit of the "reset" we were hoping for... in addition to a bit more drama than we hoped for. Ha ha. But we got along great and made good decisions together, which was lovely. There are all sorts of tales I could tell, but this post is mostly focused on the food we brought and ate! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEd3EfchCMf8HarD4M-x8cdreVgABLquU0KJC1mAXQygNRPwTfyC9RZKsmBhpvE4_H5ZgFjD2fnH85CCBYU-1vapZMclQpSW9QobS8SxSVHLYAn-jfM3-Pnka3ahiSEd9my9w-bg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1200" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEd3EfchCMf8HarD4M-x8cdreVgABLquU0KJC1mAXQygNRPwTfyC9RZKsmBhpvE4_H5ZgFjD2fnH85CCBYU-1vapZMclQpSW9QobS8SxSVHLYAn-jfM3-Pnka3ahiSEd9my9w-bg/w400-h395/bear+can.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In Yosemite, you have to bring all your food, and any scented toiletries, into a bear-proof canister. I borrowed a couple, and ended up using the smaller one, because it was much lighter. However, that meant cramming 4 days of food into this tiny little canister! I poked the air out of some of the more "poofy" packages, and just puzzle-pieced everything in there until I got it all in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4xGHNfcCXW8lmC0Seyl6K2O2nqK0JLDf8nu4Ku9bXkP38tfmf4dBSGQwXzQoRAV9wXFsfYdx3f9XvhB9Sy0Wwfn8Kvlw46K6iDDMjO79njE_QsByJYCC1xS90flclOmLhDJqKQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="1199" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4xGHNfcCXW8lmC0Seyl6K2O2nqK0JLDf8nu4Ku9bXkP38tfmf4dBSGQwXzQoRAV9wXFsfYdx3f9XvhB9Sy0Wwfn8Kvlw46K6iDDMjO79njE_QsByJYCC1xS90flclOmLhDJqKQ/w640-h418/treats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Coffee & Breakfast on the Trail</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the best things about backpacking was quiet mornings in the great outdoors with a sense of peace. Also, hot coffee. Actually, it's really not the best coffee you've ever had in your whole life, but it hits the spot in a way that is immensely satisfying. We had two kinds of coffee - Starbuck's Vias and Alpine Start Instant Coffee + Cream. I really only like coffee with cream - so I was unsure how to manage this while backpacking. I bought some Laird Creamer, which I used on the trip, but I would never ever use under other circumstances. The Starbuck's Vias are good but pretty strong and for me, I definitely need creamer... the Alpine Start was also pretty good for me, but a little too creamy for my backpacking pal - I probably would have liked a mix of the two! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(update: this year I see that Nescafe is making instant coffee + nondairy creamer packets that might be fun to try!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Power Bars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At home, I sometimes enjoy a power bar like a candy bar with a bit of protein. But at home I'm always looking for low-cal options, since I'm undoubtedly eating all sorts of other stuff too. For backpacking, it was fun to check out some of the high-calorie options on the market - I had one each morning for breakfast with my coffee. After reading labels and asking around , I decided to get GoMacro Bars - so good! I bought several different flavors, so that I wouldn't get bored. I think my favorites were: "Smooth Sanctuary: double chocolate+peanut butter chips," "Sweet Awakening: mocha chocolate chip," and "Heartwarming Retreat: oatmeal chocolate chip." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hydration Packets</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also brought along some hydration packets from Immune Oxylent, which were recommended by a friend who goes on much longer backpacking trips than what we did. They have vitamins and powdered coconut water for more hydration. It was also kind of a treat to have a flavored drink along with all the water we were drinking. They tasted kinda little CoolAid! ha ha. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One thing that bummed me out about backpacking was that you're going out to have a lovely nature experience - but all the food you bring is heavily packaged in individual serving sizes and plastic. I never, ever buy stuff like this under normal circumstances. If I were going to be a regular backpacker, I'd have to put more thought into ways around this or at least ways to buy in bulk and then use reusable ziplocks...? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5UvdA2Ru5hE8uUdmQpvuykM3Z8B6cr-Mx7O_5WfIOj5Eqch6voI0qr-C2a3LAH5Gma0Z4V6ds7PRGQLKq6h8gOKAgYkdVak-Ub8cL9St_XBFS5OrYoOZCQFOOb0uUBtqUJqzqg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5UvdA2Ru5hE8uUdmQpvuykM3Z8B6cr-Mx7O_5WfIOj5Eqch6voI0qr-C2a3LAH5Gma0Z4V6ds7PRGQLKq6h8gOKAgYkdVak-Ub8cL9St_XBFS5OrYoOZCQFOOb0uUBtqUJqzqg/w640-h640/lunch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>LUNCH.</b></div><div><br /></div>When I was preparing for my trip, I did a lot of reading online and asked lots of my friends about food, specifically. So, it turns out that backpacking food really isn't all that exciting. Especially lunch. You're just kinda cramming some food down that's quick and easy and doesn't require heating or too much time. At home, lunch is always my biggest meal of the day - so this was a weird switcheroo to my usual eating rhythms. <div><br /></div><div>Many people suggested Tortillas with Peanut Butter. Yum? Truthfully, not really, but when you've hiked a a whole lot, you can actually find yourself really looking forward to that tortilla and PB. ha ha. My friend and I still laugh about tortillas and peanut butter. The tortillas were good because they were maleable and easy to cram into my bear canister. Less good was that by day 3, some of them were starting to get little moldy spots. ICK. We ended up coming home one day early and I was grateful to not eat those last couple tortillas with torn-off sections.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really loved these Once Again PB packets - excellent flavor, no added sugars. I would have bought crunchy if they had it, but I was content with this! </div><div><br /></div><div>Before leaving, I bought a bunch of Lightly Damaged organic peaches and nectarines at the farmers market and cut them up and dehydrated them. It was great to have a sweet and fruity snack, and as you can see, I usually added a few into my lunchtime tortilla sandwich. Happily, I made way too much, so now I have lots of dried fruit to enjoy.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDVvsz9XHow9TGtp-YkGwJPl1Bzm8NO53mqFnK5vzO2WtUVLz5Wxc2jjkvlP2QaYMccNwI0cGwZ7VsZ_nsn1uBSEg5XuitkvrANEq4Z6dx0NnzQZK2Zvg8x0BznYnT0a5mQrQMQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDVvsz9XHow9TGtp-YkGwJPl1Bzm8NO53mqFnK5vzO2WtUVLz5Wxc2jjkvlP2QaYMccNwI0cGwZ7VsZ_nsn1uBSEg5XuitkvrANEq4Z6dx0NnzQZK2Zvg8x0BznYnT0a5mQrQMQ/w640-h320/soy+curls.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b>Soy Curl Jerky!!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was trying to think of high-protein, lightweight snacks I could bring along and of course I thought of vegan jerky! But like I said, I really didn't want to buy a bunch more goodies wrapped in single-serve plastic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">... and vegan jerky is always packaged in plastic. So, I decided to make my own. I used<b><a href="https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-jerky-easy-gluten-free/" target="_blank"> this excellent recipe from thehiddenveggies.com </a></b>and it uses one whole package of Butler Soy Curls. These were a runaway hit with my hiking pal Sue, and with me! I cooked them for even longer than the recipe suggests, just to make sure they would be very dry and wouldn't rot or go bad on the trail. Extremely delicious, and I just ordered more soy curls and look forward to lots more of these tasties, even when I'm not on the trail! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Highly recommended! </b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z0yVTHtxHt7VfAFPHp_MP1LM7YElTFP8i-EeEPFG7iHFchK1BF2KA8EdWbLQ1gavHninZz_HAlokKfS-gg8c3k7O5vzQNI98ivKnMitXkir3x873zrtYCajOHFKdh8BIza4L8w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z0yVTHtxHt7VfAFPHp_MP1LM7YElTFP8i-EeEPFG7iHFchK1BF2KA8EdWbLQ1gavHninZz_HAlokKfS-gg8c3k7O5vzQNI98ivKnMitXkir3x873zrtYCajOHFKdh8BIza4L8w/w640-h640/dinners.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Dinner in the Mountains</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For dinners, we brought along packaged dinners. It turns out that there are a lot of pretty good vegan options out there, with wholesome ingredients that you know and recognize from your own kitchen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We brought two meals from <b>Good to Go</b> - which a handful of people recommended. Not all their meals are vegan, but they make several that are. We had the <b>Kale & White Bean Stew</b>, and the <b>Mexican Quinoa Bowl (Butternut Squash and Black Beans in a Mole Poblano Sauce)</b>. Of these, I preferred the quinoa bowl - it was really well-seasoned and actually pretty yummy. To be fair, I had a little snafu preparing the kale stew, so I didn't experience that dish at its finest. These meals were both roughly 350 calories, which isn't all that much after lots of hiking. Also, they were +/-15 grams of protein. It was good enough for us since we weren't doing a billion miles a day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We both agreed that the one of our favorites was the <a href="https://www.heatherschoice.com/products/african-peanut-stew" target="_blank"><b>African Peanut Stew from Heather's Choice</b></a>, it was so actually delicious! Chunks of sweet potatoes, warming spices that were prefect for a cold alpine night, and just really tasty and fun to eat. This is their only vegan offering, but it's a good one! (also gluten-free)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I was shopping for meals, I was looking for one last meal and was eventually tipped off to check out a new company called <b><a href="https://www.nomadnutrition.co/" target="_blank">Nomad Nutrition</a></b> - <b>all plant-based backpacking food! </b>I had already purchased all our other meals, but if I go backpacking again, I would love to support an all-vegan enterprise! We had the <b>Indian Red Lentil Curry</b>, which was very satisfying with nice spices and some coconut milk to boost the flavor. Their other flavors also sound good, and nicely varied, so that you wouldn't be having the same flavors over and over: Ukrainian Borscht, Canadian Barley Soup, Kathmandu Curry, Hungarian Goulash, and Caribbean Curry. Cool! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eBsEbysvKK-3KsTa0vYemNpOwb1GzMP8iR4q0Ch6ZlBxTpi8x0cAbMqXPQ66zmTC0xsz_pi3BQIfjT_Vhyg8uJ-Fk9cAdXyhXfG5Gt-PeRm45wgqyylRM6FFX-K7xqR0qrMbTw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1200" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eBsEbysvKK-3KsTa0vYemNpOwb1GzMP8iR4q0Ch6ZlBxTpi8x0cAbMqXPQ66zmTC0xsz_pi3BQIfjT_Vhyg8uJ-Fk9cAdXyhXfG5Gt-PeRm45wgqyylRM6FFX-K7xqR0qrMbTw/w640-h214/eating+dinner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cookin' and Eatin' in the great outdoors! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We had so much fun together. Sue has done lots of camping and backpacking and she was really generous with bringing along a complete newbie and showing me the ropes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLLJlDO8CmelZgqGjy_MFFtr3JRnrZU8RW4mrW7jBX7xzLxdhTg0zWldXc0PakpqVTlFP77TZOQWamX2tJItOxnCo8cx8iZ1pRY1uKDJIzLnZE0qwMY0jBxGQL1tyMmEXTMYelQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1201" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLLJlDO8CmelZgqGjy_MFFtr3JRnrZU8RW4mrW7jBX7xzLxdhTg0zWldXc0PakpqVTlFP77TZOQWamX2tJItOxnCo8cx8iZ1pRY1uKDJIzLnZE0qwMY0jBxGQL1tyMmEXTMYelQ/w640-h416/cooking.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I love this picture that Sue took of me boiling water for dinner. This night we camped at Evelyn Lake and we were the only human beings there. However, we weren't alone - there were SO many marmots, loads of various chipmunks and ground squirrels, so many Clark's Nutcrackers (eating the pine nuts out of the pinecones in the trees right over our heads), coyotes barking and howling at night, and we even saw a flock of blue birds in the morning. It was a really special part of our trip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXONYp6iy_G7nLRE7m1YLZSQYBtsL0xVTDh4oIoFrFiwrLeb3fWBlP88pxqubHKePEkDI3FL9-s8WgOHQxirsynJaadzm_YqSSbv9SXyH4rHrhiEfaUKl1JIp6oGCxd6QLPy1_YA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1199" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXONYp6iy_G7nLRE7m1YLZSQYBtsL0xVTDh4oIoFrFiwrLeb3fWBlP88pxqubHKePEkDI3FL9-s8WgOHQxirsynJaadzm_YqSSbv9SXyH4rHrhiEfaUKl1JIp6oGCxd6QLPy1_YA/w640-h394/tea.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />Sometimes after dinner we would make ourselves a cup of hot tea. Other than the crazy amount of smoke at the end of our trip, we got lucky with the weather - temperature-wise. Even on a nice day in summer though, it gets COLD up at that altitude, once the sun goes down. And because of fire risks, we weren't allowed to build fires while we camped. So a nice cup of hot tea felt good before hunkering down for the night. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-JqB1V1XleoFCPFUVPOuwMN0hiczwiMEw1rAECZPf5BYz8EiaEzgjAqpkR2pC5YIWqAAhaXy4e6cM9H4aIi63CugWkMcRazbDAhrNF2J4t-1VaP3zTr4whGrSWYoy-kIbXsV4A/s2048/BeFunky-collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1613" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-JqB1V1XleoFCPFUVPOuwMN0hiczwiMEw1rAECZPf5BYz8EiaEzgjAqpkR2pC5YIWqAAhaXy4e6cM9H4aIi63CugWkMcRazbDAhrNF2J4t-1VaP3zTr4whGrSWYoy-kIbXsV4A/w504-h640/BeFunky-collage.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We wore our N95 masks (THANK GOD for those!) for two days and two nights straight! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We even slept with them!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Apparently for California camping, N95 masks are now the 11th of the "10 Essentials."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have you been backpacking? I hope to try again someday! It was a lot of work to prepare - but my favorite part was getting to be so far out in the wilderness, and see such glorious and pristine spots. And the wonderful sense of accomplishment! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw3kQTWQyFIcHIN1PHK2bFseZceZqawbjQsZf2c0ajVthzFuoi2XkKdWPwAryKTSrR8M2-pABTZzWHBX8MJ_vLKBkKDFF_Ab6i4Xqj1qf6ICO8qEyxxcB-EfXI5JtXF06JguIZg/s2048/IMG_3487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1962" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw3kQTWQyFIcHIN1PHK2bFseZceZqawbjQsZf2c0ajVthzFuoi2XkKdWPwAryKTSrR8M2-pABTZzWHBX8MJ_vLKBkKDFF_Ab6i4Xqj1qf6ICO8qEyxxcB-EfXI5JtXF06JguIZg/s320/IMG_3487.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">wooooohooooo!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /> <p></p></div>Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-64518564651773896672021-06-20T11:16:00.003-07:002021-06-20T11:16:39.839-07:00I Threw Myself 3 Bday Parties in 1 Week! <p>You read that right! I threw myself three birthday parties in one week! Ha ha ha. Turning 48 on a Wednesday isn't really the most festive thing in the world. But after our beloved Snoopy died, I knew that I needed to plan something fun to look forward to. </p><p>Plus... it's the beginning of summer and my pals and I are finally vaxxed up (what an amazing relief!), so it seemed like fun to gather again. That said, I wasn't in the mood for any huge festivities. First of all, my heart is still a bit sad. And secondly, after such a quiet and introspective and challenging year/16 months... I feel much more drawn to small, cozy gatherings. So, that's another reason I decided to have more than one party. I still have so many more friends I can't wait to see and connect with again.</p><p>I really love having people over and I love entertaining and cooking for my friends, so I did almost all the cooking for my parties. Ha ha ha. What a nut. It was so much fun - and I gotta say... it really did help to lift my spirits. What an absolute joy to be with friends and loved ones again, sharing serving utensils without fear!!!</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZirifP1ik37Q4F0__RxpnSxAE__bdnW24AP0acaQ8MknVr07SL8voIg9W1PJOywYK4C5G_VsO73FgQDybPM5H5s2JITDuKSk5_qLST20dT2HaUGzyum7Al8syZ60IafaL5URy9Q/s548/Party+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZirifP1ik37Q4F0__RxpnSxAE__bdnW24AP0acaQ8MknVr07SL8voIg9W1PJOywYK4C5G_VsO73FgQDybPM5H5s2JITDuKSk5_qLST20dT2HaUGzyum7Al8syZ60IafaL5URy9Q/s320/Party+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: xx-large;">Birthday Party Number One:</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">Friends & Middle Eastern Food! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For my first gathering, I invited a small group of pals who I've really stayed connected with throughout covid - some of the people whose support and love and conversation helped me the most during the last year. It was a really sweet group - and although not everyone knew each other, they were really compatible. A small dinner is fun because everyone can hear and be heard. I knew I wanted to focus on mostly healthy foods, but also wanted it to feel special and summery - so I decided on Middle Eastern inspiration.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vCeZYapxjzoVtzoj1wNQuxrwmE16Iy3jnD9xw5aKByamTC-B_AWvZRWJOJUA9mcm9ogldjMYqNnqA5tAWD9JGRmeS3bxysHDf5JTmAxuDi8ii8olQGfG1DQb7GmMF4O7LJuPdg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1645" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vCeZYapxjzoVtzoj1wNQuxrwmE16Iy3jnD9xw5aKByamTC-B_AWvZRWJOJUA9mcm9ogldjMYqNnqA5tAWD9JGRmeS3bxysHDf5JTmAxuDi8ii8olQGfG1DQb7GmMF4O7LJuPdg/w515-h640/IMG_2857.jpg" width="515" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Fattoush!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used a couple different cookbooks for inspiration here - <i>Modern Flavors of Arabia </i>and <i>Arabesque</i>. Have you ever made Fattoush? Oh man, it is just a <b>delicious salad</b>: romaine lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, red peppers, fresh herbs, toasted pita chips, sumac, pomegranate molasses... You can't tell, but this is a HUGE platter of salad. I really wanted the Salad to be the main centerpiece! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5bmmNcOGWtvN5DX1iLm6eZMVnwwRBOys51HYVcc62ysZoRC1l2PGhh7Y0MsaLaElQBfSIgJ4Hzk6h0t97YUkJmoWeBbpW9yxkE8PUD7frq1ad5FkWEHOWEVrXptmB52gat55iA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5bmmNcOGWtvN5DX1iLm6eZMVnwwRBOys51HYVcc62ysZoRC1l2PGhh7Y0MsaLaElQBfSIgJ4Hzk6h0t97YUkJmoWeBbpW9yxkE8PUD7frq1ad5FkWEHOWEVrXptmB52gat55iA/w640-h360/IMG_2856.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kabobs // Roasted Cauliflower with Citrus-Tahini Sauce</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The <b>Kabobs</b> were really fun to make - I used big tofuz and various veggies and marinated them the day before in a marinade with olive oil, lots of lemon juice, tamari, sumac, various dried and fresh herbs... I kinda ad-libbed it. They turned out great! I accidentally burnt them a bit, but luckily one of my highly competent friends showed up first and she skillfully cut off the burnt bits, salvaged whatever was salvageable, and tossed the rest. Friends to the rescue!! </p><p><b>This cauliflower recipe</b> is from <i>Modern Flavors of Arabia</i>, and I know it doesn't look beautiful, but it's such a great recipe. The flavors are absolutely elegant - roasted cauliflower, onions, tahini sauce with lime and orange, topes with roasted almonds... ugh, it's so special. You can't tell here, but I made a huge double batch! That's a great cookbook by the way. It's not at all vegan, but there are a lot of vegan recipes there, and it's easy to gain inspiration from the meaty dishes. It's also a very, very beautiful book. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUptlXJmIBsYt4tz1CzPx4wrchdxqEfhL6Dzh629Zv7-Vr9Y1RI9Rj5Ee97KOi20Qy7LmC0V9GvRRMxjWd_5tp_9nyCntadTgMkx_0OlE8uh-mgTJTOhOLm5l1y4jL4qctGyEd3g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUptlXJmIBsYt4tz1CzPx4wrchdxqEfhL6Dzh629Zv7-Vr9Y1RI9Rj5Ee97KOi20Qy7LmC0V9GvRRMxjWd_5tp_9nyCntadTgMkx_0OlE8uh-mgTJTOhOLm5l1y4jL4qctGyEd3g/w640-h480/IMG_2858.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Spinach Pies "Fatayer bi Sabanikh"</b></p><p>Ooooh, these little stinkers were so good! It's been a long time since I made anything with puff pastry - that was fun! I knew the puff pastry would make these special, and it did! This recipe is from <i>Arabesque</i>, and the filling is spinach, onions, pine nuts... with a simple seasoning with sumac and allspice. Really good! The recipe also made lots so we all got to stuff our faces and there were STILL a few left to enjoy the next day. </p><p style="text-align: center;">(protip, in case you don't know: Pepperidge Farms puff pastry is accidentally vegan!)</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlb1L0soz9gQBxs7nG7kN78nZdZon1ERtnLzsgv0rtkIvT4jGb3K3wsPxvOox4pArgEI5hbm_SDI0EVotHAUDoDM3lk75MqMBPLipOQp1VTmll-L1ndblELiQOuWT7_CaOoNA1g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1902" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlb1L0soz9gQBxs7nG7kN78nZdZon1ERtnLzsgv0rtkIvT4jGb3K3wsPxvOox4pArgEI5hbm_SDI0EVotHAUDoDM3lk75MqMBPLipOQp1VTmll-L1ndblELiQOuWT7_CaOoNA1g/w372-h400/IMG_2859.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Fresh Limeade! </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We have sooooo many limes still. Even though our lime tree is technically slowing down, there are still so many limes in every direction. So naturally, I made fresh limeade to go with dinner! What a fun treat! Super simple - lime juice, simple syrup, and fizzy water = perfection! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXP3pkzJy_DasR-bz5L9YCgScuo5jWTsdL8qHYJVDjAYh6Mm1xGoNK32XuuP1lNjg3L2SrErNXrVKFtbI5YD_5PfP9j_gQGO-5OJ2Ypl9GMnAD_kjx2NDQ0WnTysF5iMVg9G84A/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXP3pkzJy_DasR-bz5L9YCgScuo5jWTsdL8qHYJVDjAYh6Mm1xGoNK32XuuP1lNjg3L2SrErNXrVKFtbI5YD_5PfP9j_gQGO-5OJ2Ypl9GMnAD_kjx2NDQ0WnTysF5iMVg9G84A/w640-h360/IMG_2855.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Fresh fruit</b>, because it's June and I love fresh fruit so there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss9jkkQz7re8Z_YdZVrn_cssl-k_Gy7QIPw4qxLLkt-v0T2OxLs_WDeb2qITs47YgjVJDGXiQ7PScXHr0oTD8aID0yaK1TAol-cvZKjnfHK9Rl56HdRw8k6mE9b3Xc82gQYC2uw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss9jkkQz7re8Z_YdZVrn_cssl-k_Gy7QIPw4qxLLkt-v0T2OxLs_WDeb2qITs47YgjVJDGXiQ7PScXHr0oTD8aID0yaK1TAol-cvZKjnfHK9Rl56HdRw8k6mE9b3Xc82gQYC2uw/w640-h360/IMG_2854.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Ma'amoul // Chocolate-Dipped Stuffed Dates</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dessert! I know birthday cakes are fun, but I love a good theme, so I decided to stick with more traditional desserts. First up: <b>Maamoul cookies!</b> Have you ever had these? Ooooh they are so good. The dough is made with semolina flour and has a lovely crisp, crumbly texture. Inside the cookie is a filling - kinda like a fig newton or a dumpling. There are many filling recipes out there - I used the dough recipe from <i>Tahini & Turmeric</i> but used a different filling recipe because I wanted a filling that included dates. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Chocolate-Dipped Stuffed Dates:</b> HELLO, LOVER. These unassuming little guys completely stole the show. Whut. This recipe is also from <i>Tahini & Turmeric</i> (this is my only all-vegan Middle Eastern cookbook, and I recommend it!). These dates are stuffed with a deceptively simple combo of walnuts, maple syrup, and orange zest (I think I added some orange blossom water too), and then dipped in chocolate. I pretty much want to have these premade and just sitting in my fridge for nibbling. They were fantastic! </div><p><br /></p><p>One of the cool gifts of covid has been all the outdoor visiting and gathering. I loved that with all my parties, the assumption was that we would at least start outside. This gathering was an early dinner, and we enjoyed our dinner out in the backyard... but soon enough the cool ocean air crept in, and by the time we were ready for dessert, we were also ready to warm up a bit. </p><p>So... do you know what we did? WE WENT INSIDE. This was the first time we'd had a group of pals in our house in 16 months. WHOA! But we were all 100% vaxxed, and so we did it! What a special, special feeling! In a lot of ways, all my bday parties felt more like "oh my god we can see each other again!" parties than "birthday parties." Either way, what a treasured gift to gather together again. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3wrgGSmqBJa_o7sROlIWOzcuYACUXk-hT7bwC1ovFXyV9rbtueQ5SIZgf05DIT4F7wuenGnUcCxi8SVvmHil49zuV4weGKBAxx1zG5wpiLKfY2amcwXKOAvFMh9BOAsL1LhpsA/s582/Party+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3wrgGSmqBJa_o7sROlIWOzcuYACUXk-hT7bwC1ovFXyV9rbtueQ5SIZgf05DIT4F7wuenGnUcCxi8SVvmHil49zuV4weGKBAxx1zG5wpiLKfY2amcwXKOAvFMh9BOAsL1LhpsA/s320/Party+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Birthday Party Number Two:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">Bagels & Vegan Pastries for Breakfast! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The actual day of my birthday was a busy teaching day for me, so I didn't plan anything special for that day. Good thing too, since I ended up having a headache for about 3 hours. What a jerk, headache! But, I am a great fan of breakfast, so I asked my family if they could do a Thursday morning breakfast on the day after - and, amazingly, it worked with almost everyone's work/life schedule! So fun to do something out of the ordinary like that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWzbFH91YsijHXKe43wIfARfEP-zi66Otro0HWmBMuRlMO8WxNUNYIOweF2AkHwDhyoJ7HFPDmAktEZnxo10b6gM_AVW-4fnCzdHgb3LwB2r0Y1ijyTwY6DzpC5Qdz6UQ1Dm-ug/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1787" data-original-width="2048" height="559" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWzbFH91YsijHXKe43wIfARfEP-zi66Otro0HWmBMuRlMO8WxNUNYIOweF2AkHwDhyoJ7HFPDmAktEZnxo10b6gM_AVW-4fnCzdHgb3LwB2r0Y1ijyTwY6DzpC5Qdz6UQ1Dm-ug/w640-h559/P2+breakfast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Spread!</b></div></b><p></p><p>This was such a great and low-key way to kick off my bday 2.0! We procured a bunch of bagels from the bagel spot near our house, and I custom ordered a box of vegan pastries from a local baker - I ordered fruit danishes and strawberry scones. MMMMmmmm what an absolute DELIGHT to have access to such delicious vegan pastries after 150,000,000 years of living without vegan pastries. I am grateful and stoked! It was so fun to be able to share such delicious pastries with my family! (for locals: Sweet Bean Bakery - follow <b>@sweet.bean.bakery</b> on Instagram for updates, you won't regret it!) </p><p>Our orange trees have been going strong lately, so I also made fresh-juiced Orange Juice for everyone!! How cool is that?! The oranges this year are really good and this OJ is so nice without being super acidic. I also made a big jar of cucumber-lime water, and now Mr. VE&T and I are kinda obsessed with cucumber-lime water and we drink it all the time. Such an easy way to make water a little more special.</p><p>More cherries of course. Did I mention that cherries are one of my favorite fruits of all time? Cherries! </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSI-vxEQPcZm94stKLOnfJkhyphenhyphenhflxBGLjqZ7xMd-9jT46pml0oTbGp3vHY9tBopYZ2xJOKkNAuFW1GvpC7cCJ4KhnaZSOSFPGQlCK2J67c9B9lHuBGOYCOu5a0UBrDr1fRNZuHg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1353" data-original-width="2048" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSI-vxEQPcZm94stKLOnfJkhyphenhyphenhflxBGLjqZ7xMd-9jT46pml0oTbGp3vHY9tBopYZ2xJOKkNAuFW1GvpC7cCJ4KhnaZSOSFPGQlCK2J67c9B9lHuBGOYCOu5a0UBrDr1fRNZuHg/w640-h422/P2+spreads.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Spreads!</b></div></b><p></p><p>We had lots of spreads on hand - so that everyone could have their needs met: peanut butter, homemade marmalade, earth balance, Kite Hill cream cheese, tomato slices, and two toppings directly from the Bagel shop: hummus and - my favorite - Tofu del Fuego! </p><p>Tofu del Fuego is a lightly spicy tofu spread with some crunchy celery and onion bits in there. I don't really know what all is in it, but I wish I did, because it's so good. Kite Hill is my favorite vegan cream cheese so far - what's your favorite? We also had non-vegan cream cheese for <i>those people,</i> ha ha ha. but I didn't photograph it, obviously! </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WOC_VOXrCCaY74Jz5kqjPVz4cw5qE_D1epIpcsuM59F751FYcDl_wvUiVnSjlpLzbudEQo2QWX6IOvKpQjswi82och5H4Tnf7Xprmks1AzBKWPQTZC7-7z9uory4A_KFwbp0vg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WOC_VOXrCCaY74Jz5kqjPVz4cw5qE_D1epIpcsuM59F751FYcDl_wvUiVnSjlpLzbudEQo2QWX6IOvKpQjswi82och5H4Tnf7Xprmks1AzBKWPQTZC7-7z9uory4A_KFwbp0vg/w640-h640/P2+plate.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>In the morning the backyard was still quite shady, but as we chatted, the sun crept in and we shifted ourselves around to be in the sun or in the shade as desired. We even brought the toaster out so folks could toast their bagels ... almost everyone seems to prefer a toasted bagel, right? Look what a sweet spread! <p></p><p>It was so nice to gather with my family and feel so relaxed and at ease together. We chatted and visited well into the early afternoon - it was perfect.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheTErh77Z6iaFD2l5jYym4MGeUGuCVl_S42jEiJeDEFSBpaqeeMHRDyyWMuZX-JDaZpj4f7TcUA5X_NqIK0AsfvZVwFv-1gj2QMk7kcW5QQwx5qa0NoDBx9TLFpvYgQ0QYMrGPg/s453/party+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheTErh77Z6iaFD2l5jYym4MGeUGuCVl_S42jEiJeDEFSBpaqeeMHRDyyWMuZX-JDaZpj4f7TcUA5X_NqIK0AsfvZVwFv-1gj2QMk7kcW5QQwx5qa0NoDBx9TLFpvYgQ0QYMrGPg/s320/party+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Birthday Party Number 3:</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">Friends and Italian Food! </span></div><p>My final gathering was with a really sweet little group of friends who all know each other so well. When we all get together, there's just an immediate sense of ease and we are free to show up in any emotional state, and know we will be received with love. What a gift. Two of these special buddies are moving up to Portland next month, so it was especially sweet to all be together again. For this party I went with a loosely Italian theme - always my favorite culinary path to walk. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8i9sANbsTxU7MC86fBPk8XNiLra68YchfAHATI0ZnJcjmwOfwGHD7nIS3DNtNkXqsgg4dYghcy712nJuJcofRNgn8FlHSAfq7zX_CDDN1d7GTtgK3fFJfqaR-_0oxUw7Myji-Vw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="2048" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8i9sANbsTxU7MC86fBPk8XNiLra68YchfAHATI0ZnJcjmwOfwGHD7nIS3DNtNkXqsgg4dYghcy712nJuJcofRNgn8FlHSAfq7zX_CDDN1d7GTtgK3fFJfqaR-_0oxUw7Myji-Vw/w640-h386/P3+Spritz.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">SPRITZ!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Faithful readers of this blog will know that I am a fan of the Aperol Spritz! And may also know that in general I don't actually drink alcohol. I pretty much have 3-4 spritzes a year and that's it. But one of my very special buddies doesn't drink at all, and I don't like it when she's left out of the spritz fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So this year for her bday, I did some searching around for non-alcoholic Spritz alternatives and came up with this Spritz mix from Lyre's. I bought a bottle for her and one for me - so that she could have spritzes at her house and at our house! I finally busted my bottle open and decided to try it instead of an Aperol Spritz. Wow! So good! 100% delicious and spritz-y! I really, really recommend this and will probably switch to this for the most part, since I'm not really an enthusiastic drinker.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That said, we had a whole elaborate Spritz Station, including the Prosecco and Aperol for all those folks who wanted the original deal! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8txU7NnNg-5xlBupdiZz-7WlglX6Zg7b_Vzbfg4dW-k6QJ42a28l-N7MxdUXSFaMud68jGlcLeEoUpb0r29HtniS1yG-v2FvK-khJGSCOgnTKhreOC_xGAZhvGKMfnyjUFhVJzQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2607" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8txU7NnNg-5xlBupdiZz-7WlglX6Zg7b_Vzbfg4dW-k6QJ42a28l-N7MxdUXSFaMud68jGlcLeEoUpb0r29HtniS1yG-v2FvK-khJGSCOgnTKhreOC_xGAZhvGKMfnyjUFhVJzQ/w640-h296/P3+sides.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Sides! </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Romano Beans </b>- is it too embarrassing to admit that I used the green beans from Buca di Beppo as my inspiration? ha ha ha. Mr VE&T loves that place and so sometimes I go with him, and usually just order a family-size of the green beans and eat them all. They've got some garlic, lemon juice, a little olive oil, a little salt... so good. I bought soooo many green beans, and there were none left by the end of the evening so I guess I should have bought more. I love these giant Romano beans - such great flavor. I lightly steamed them first, then sautéed them with all the flavor bits. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Focaccia</b> - I had two of my pals pick up some focaccia from a local restaurant that makes it right. I still haven't really tackled making focaccia, partly out of the fear / knowledge that I will immediately eat it ALL. Focaccia is one of my top foods of all time. I love it so much. If you ever need me to confess state secrets, try bribing me with focaccia and it might work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Farinata</b> (aka Socca) - have you ever had Farinata? I love it sooooo much! It's made with chickpea flour, olive oil, water, salt and pepper. Sounds so blah, huh? Well it's not blah at all!! It's savory and yummy and crunchy on top and smooth on the inside. It's a great high-protein and gluten-free carbo blast! Highly recommended.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9q_bRt2WKH4GGmBAZmV68ZJupRpZE4RJnA6EETQpCDe0mwFZeFbQi9cdgRrTGk1VCVPVmxjFZ67wcjzBKGYL_DpgOU_0nChwEc_GB_zEcykrxgH6AtWeQKXmXTuE3C4MnRfk-w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="2048" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9q_bRt2WKH4GGmBAZmV68ZJupRpZE4RJnA6EETQpCDe0mwFZeFbQi9cdgRrTGk1VCVPVmxjFZ67wcjzBKGYL_DpgOU_0nChwEc_GB_zEcykrxgH6AtWeQKXmXTuE3C4MnRfk-w/w640-h458/P3+salad.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>GIANT SALAD</b></div></b><p></p><p>I believe in giant salads! I included myself in this pic so maybe you can see how huge this giant platter is?? I made a big ol classic "Italian salad" - romaine, cukes, radishes, olives, tomatoes, red onion... maybe that was it? For the dressing, I looked online and found this lovely recipe that used fresh basil and fresh parsley and everyone at the party agreed that it was a really good dressing: <a href="https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/big-italian-salad.html" target="_blank">here's the link.</a> (except that I think I only used 2 tbsp of olive oil instead of 3/4 cup - WHOA). </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYOKV4CVBLRSgdqV0mbWIqJoxb1xWxVVD7fouzPcNYD-8kT0mtWTHOdE6I9KYzxXpFvfKNQHIr0XArhLbNqAyKgGy81ug-KDRsLV4SoGH60lR_5FkGNLUU4DHJh0yx0k8Zu5JFA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1150" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYOKV4CVBLRSgdqV0mbWIqJoxb1xWxVVD7fouzPcNYD-8kT0mtWTHOdE6I9KYzxXpFvfKNQHIr0XArhLbNqAyKgGy81ug-KDRsLV4SoGH60lR_5FkGNLUU4DHJh0yx0k8Zu5JFA/w360-h640/P3+Dinner.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Stuffed Shells!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stuffed Shells are so delicious, and I have perfected my recipe, if I do say so myself. I made a double batch and actually made two big dishes - one with regular jumbo shells and one with gluten-free jumbo shells. One of my besties is gf, so I looked around online and found that Tinkyada makes brown rice jumbo shells. They are great!! They're totally delicious and just as good as the gluten-y ones! So that's super fun to know that I can make stuffed shells for her again in the future.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My filling is a mix of tofu, Kite Hill ricotta, spinach, browned onions and mushrooms deglazed with white wine, nooch, seasonings, and a handful of shiitake bacons for an UMAMI BLAST. mmm. Honestly, I don't even really like mushrooms, but they all sort of disappear into the overall mixture of YUM in these shells and they're just so good. I was kind to myself and used store-bought tomato sauce. <3 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBpSNC-V1gMjAXqhRvMs1Fuc5KfFrlaN1XRlV_jmF0Sv-WOdlTFfh09vZNLph1TpdN5642wzhJ64GO5hU20uUdqbq5VAsgizH-QVxoFJ1dM6jsZGyniNb6kivdP1t1qBGMueVCA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="2048" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBpSNC-V1gMjAXqhRvMs1Fuc5KfFrlaN1XRlV_jmF0Sv-WOdlTFfh09vZNLph1TpdN5642wzhJ64GO5hU20uUdqbq5VAsgizH-QVxoFJ1dM6jsZGyniNb6kivdP1t1qBGMueVCA/w640-h458/P3+dessert.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Strawberry Pie & Still More Cherries</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This Strawberry Pie is a favorite of mine - it's from Julie Hasson's book <i>Vegan Diner</i>. It's got an Oreo cookie crust, with ganache, berries, and more ganache drizzled on top. ZOMG it's sooooooo good. The ganache has a little bit of raspberry liquor in it and that just kicks the whole thing up a notch. And it's so easy to make gluten-free so that everyone can partake - I just used "glutinos" which are gf Oreos. It's always more fun to have a treat that everyone can enjoy! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RbVlVc7qwbF2CJCEkHl4l223G1k9SFJwkjJIAnFuP0XQaXXmycVIr5191Hs-jr5VZgYZOL0jHtmNh4mLzqBF4vz3Gn8Rhov9qa-6OBKRYD3RonhbCCbyZeu9SNe3xS9ROW0G9g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1787" data-original-width="2048" height="559" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RbVlVc7qwbF2CJCEkHl4l223G1k9SFJwkjJIAnFuP0XQaXXmycVIr5191Hs-jr5VZgYZOL0jHtmNh4mLzqBF4vz3Gn8Rhov9qa-6OBKRYD3RonhbCCbyZeu9SNe3xS9ROW0G9g/w640-h559/P3+extras.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A few sweet pics</b></div></b><p></p><p>I didn't do a great job of taking pics at my various gatherings - but my pals took some! The bottom two pictures were from a fun game we were playing called "Say it/Do it" - where everyone draws a card and then says or does what the card asks. It was such a sweet game to play with friends - some of them were really deep and meaningful conversations, and some were very goofy: like when my friend here had to have a staring contest with someone else in the group. I lost within about 3 seconds. ha ha ha. Also, two of my friends made me bread with my name on the loaves!! How rad is that!? One loaf is olive and rosemary and one loaf has dark chocolate chunks in it! I sliced them up and froze them and have been enjoying bday toasties ever since. </p><p><br /></p><p>SO!! There you have it - after a long covid of very few gatherings, we broke the dry spell with three parties in one week! Now we've been eating leftovers and enjoying some much more simple cooking this week. Thanks for reading such a long post! I thought of splitting it into three posts... but then I was afraid I'd just never do it! </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-91438522346468541782021-06-16T14:29:00.001-07:002021-06-16T14:29:41.659-07:00Snoopy, Best Boy<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="background-color: white;">Snoopy </span>Snoppy </span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Silky Bottoms, Peanut, Peanutto, Snoopino, Snoopetto, </p><p style="text-align: center;">Baby DumDum, DumDum, Puppy-Shaped Dog, Silky Svelte-o</p><p>Sweet Snoopy passed away recently, and I've been wanting to write a little post to memorialize him, his quirks, his joy, and even his naughtiness... Our home is so much quieter without his tap-dancing toenails and vibrant spunk. Snoopy was a spunky little guy with way more than his fair share of joie de vivre. <b>He loved to be alive.</b> And he spread that love far and wide - he had no enemies, he never snarled or growled, he was a friend to everyone. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-1ne2oVVeCftQ5pETsPJ7f45lrx3xeCySasNQAagF3jg6c8CKgw89ide68np3TyICQp7JNBJVFhAhf2sbZXGqiffa00wuOC5nqrxZ8QdT62epwrGwDvyuTqIMN5Gc8FWmzSuCA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-1ne2oVVeCftQ5pETsPJ7f45lrx3xeCySasNQAagF3jg6c8CKgw89ide68np3TyICQp7JNBJVFhAhf2sbZXGqiffa00wuOC5nqrxZ8QdT62epwrGwDvyuTqIMN5Gc8FWmzSuCA/w640-h480/8.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the first picture we took of Snoopy, on the day we adopted him. What a funny looking little guy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we adopted Snoopy, they tried to discourage us and told us "He's a <b><i>real handful!</i></b>" Supposedly he had been at the county shelter for so many months that he was transferred to the SPCA in hopes of getting him adopted. But how is that even possible? I mean, we took <b>one look </b>at this little imp and knew he was the guy for us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We had strict criteria for dog #3:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Had to be smaller than Stevie Wonder, since we had discovered she really didn't like any dogs bigger than her</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Had to be a good playmate to Dottie Bonkers (due to aforementioned friction with Stevie)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Had to be very gentle with Yummers Potatoes the cat, who was already terrorized by Dottie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Snoopy fit all these needs and was the PERFECT match for our gang. He was <b>a true peacekeeper </b>and he and Dottie were immediately best pals - endlessly wrestling, playing, snuggling. Meanwhile, Stevie could go back to pretending she was actually a person and not have to socialize with the riffraff. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO5J48KIF4ZZZ3YVsQJlD4LwVkfFjCRtXasAu2JaSVUSvIyjJ3jFmqxyIpobddQb4t-45wpOk08apFrDcCuaR09M0eizEolDzxZBD6Nsj6hn6bkOKS2OZb15CAaYir4PuPBTsYg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO5J48KIF4ZZZ3YVsQJlD4LwVkfFjCRtXasAu2JaSVUSvIyjJ3jFmqxyIpobddQb4t-45wpOk08apFrDcCuaR09M0eizEolDzxZBD6Nsj6hn6bkOKS2OZb15CAaYir4PuPBTsYg/w480-h640/IMG_5211.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I LOVE this picture. He looks like such a wee guy here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They told us Snoopy was 4 years old when we adopted him, but doesn't he look so young in this picture?? If he was 4 when we got him, this means he was 18 years old when he died!! Either way, he lived a long and joyful life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first day we got Snoopy, he *immediately* snuck out a tiny hole in the fence, ran down the street, got picked up by a stranger, and was taken directly back to the animal shelter. ha ha. All's well that ends well. We convinced them we were good people, and we mended the fence! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Snoopy wasn't really a handful - but he was a LIVE WIRE. This tiny body possessed more life force that I will ever know! He loved to sneak out the gate and run away - but we soon figured out that EVERY SINGLE TIME he just went straight to our next door neighbor's compost and got stuck in their backyard. Ha ha. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Upon his arrival, he introduced the concept of "taking human food off the table" to Stevie and Dottie. Until then, they were two Very Good Girls who would never EVER consider taking human food without permission. Well! Snoopy was like: "look guys! Just grab it when no one's looking!" Many loaves of bread were subsequently lost to this thievery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6W3RR4GDMESErdVRhtt1p2pbKB_qeZjDBNdEndAl1xOWv_0dqy9bi26c1UkFDGLuIzsTwhHR04vKypuswn0jP-XrBgKV01DcXs-nSr2yv3lx2TC-EP-cg4zK6-BF_oCQ-yOyaw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6W3RR4GDMESErdVRhtt1p2pbKB_qeZjDBNdEndAl1xOWv_0dqy9bi26c1UkFDGLuIzsTwhHR04vKypuswn0jP-XrBgKV01DcXs-nSr2yv3lx2TC-EP-cg4zK6-BF_oCQ-yOyaw/w400-h300/IMG_1493.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snoopy in the woods. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb74zHKYINJSVWDszCDxFcdhuoQF6u2q4eHP_27vt8RTIs8ZzRADVOlVR6cXXvcEAe7gy708KLC0LZSKBayApvNpfAG4oaz4JpNHo7SUHV688jtNCvognR6eBT5DCtkN_tTdWpCg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb74zHKYINJSVWDszCDxFcdhuoQF6u2q4eHP_27vt8RTIs8ZzRADVOlVR6cXXvcEAe7gy708KLC0LZSKBayApvNpfAG4oaz4JpNHo7SUHV688jtNCvognR6eBT5DCtkN_tTdWpCg/w640-h480/IMG_2268.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stevie Wonder, Snoopy Snoppy, & Dottie Bonkers</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our power trio</div><div><br /></div><div>"StevieSnoopyDottie!" For so many years this trio ruled the roost - these three had so many hikes and adventures and beach days and sofa snuggles together. We used to wake up every morning and see them, and the two kitties, and exclaim "The gang's all here!" and "These are the good ol' days!" </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="text-align: center;">And what an athlete this little guy was. We marvel to remember how his little 15-pound self kept up with his big sisters for so many years - for all those hours in the woods or at the beach running through trees, jumping over logs, leaping across rocks. He never pooped out, even though his little legs probably had to walk twice as many times to keep up with Stevie and Dottie! </span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKjSvmIVJObi0hyphenhyphen9dBLBgtAaiMLSGKAXzrXpbxsNkluQQRH6TpoqpMG4WrCn-P20BblbpCLsQCZO_cEN7G0Uvi66_4QEQh-16vSpt-dGTRRhnpT09e1u96gKq4wZ8wVoXzu_1qg/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Rs3JOfFjsZphJ69TJZCmSnzVNOvewR6NqOIwDgv_vYzSXbdSkAk8Pvczk3MZm9TeIjWzhg2p8Nxo-LlhiIktiZBRKzmFl_LCsF3YZ9JBw5B4lFRa5mTPNyLobRimXWzss3DfoQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Rs3JOfFjsZphJ69TJZCmSnzVNOvewR6NqOIwDgv_vYzSXbdSkAk8Pvczk3MZm9TeIjWzhg2p8Nxo-LlhiIktiZBRKzmFl_LCsF3YZ9JBw5B4lFRa5mTPNyLobRimXWzss3DfoQ/w640-h480/IMG_20170304_161406.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div>Snoopy was a watchful little guy and loved to hang out up high on the back of the sofa. He spent sooo many hours up here, napping, watching over the neighborhood, and enjoying the afternoon sun... </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKjSvmIVJObi0hyphenhyphen9dBLBgtAaiMLSGKAXzrXpbxsNkluQQRH6TpoqpMG4WrCn-P20BblbpCLsQCZO_cEN7G0Uvi66_4QEQh-16vSpt-dGTRRhnpT09e1u96gKq4wZ8wVoXzu_1qg/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKjSvmIVJObi0hyphenhyphen9dBLBgtAaiMLSGKAXzrXpbxsNkluQQRH6TpoqpMG4WrCn-P20BblbpCLsQCZO_cEN7G0Uvi66_4QEQh-16vSpt-dGTRRhnpT09e1u96gKq4wZ8wVoXzu_1qg/w400-h300/IMG_20200302_152001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">FLYING INTO ACTION</div><div><br /></div><div>... but a peaceful nap on the back of the sofa could turn immediately into a THREE ALARM FIRE with the slightest hint of movement outside the house - did someone walk by?? How dare they! A squirrel?? ACK! An unknown feline?? Spread the alarm!</div><div><br /></div><div>Snoopy had the most excellent woooo wooooo woooo bark - when he was alerting us to neighborhood intruders, or when he was excited about going for a walk, or even just at meal time. His enthusiasm would build up and build up and the toenails would start tapping and then the would thing would boil over into a wooooo wooooo woooo of uncontrolled enthusiasm! What a spark he was! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkre3OuQk5EX35kIENhQK_pxVy9q0I8ehm0X2FdEMia7r255z_Cv5DTB7xBUQAJUQ2k4ek29D2eIDWZwGmz7R3gT37DiGBVNBF5o5AunsGVzwPDYRkCKdIlWg2YL9x4tUwck8vA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkre3OuQk5EX35kIENhQK_pxVy9q0I8ehm0X2FdEMia7r255z_Cv5DTB7xBUQAJUQ2k4ek29D2eIDWZwGmz7R3gT37DiGBVNBF5o5AunsGVzwPDYRkCKdIlWg2YL9x4tUwck8vA/w400-h300/IMG_20180513_222747.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of Snoopy's favorite joys was convincing his friend Dottie to lick his ears. Ahh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Snoopy was a dedicated <b>Beta Dog</b>. He had no desire or need to be number one, and was very content to be at the very bottom of the family totem pole. Dare I say, he relished this position. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He was nearly impossible to train, but was also so strongly driven to emulate everything the "cool kids" did (ie Stevie and Dottie), that he quickly caught on to our family routine. On his own, he could not be bothered to come when we called his name. Particularly if there was something else he'd rather be doing. Sometimes he'd find an old PB&J in the park and we'd say "leave it! come!" and he would look at the crusty tidbit, and look back at us, and become paralyzed with indecision. Ha ha. Usually the sandwich won. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But! If we called Dottie, who was the world's most eager-to-please dog, she would jump up and come bounding toward us, and suddenly that was all Snoopy wanted to do, and he would come running too! Luckily for us, Stevie and Dottie were Very Good Dogs, and so the time we put into training them somehow percolated down into the stubborn recesses of Snoopy's sweet little noggin. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Food stealer!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Snoopy was "highly food motivated," as they say. And he soon learned that people on blankets at the beach have food, and rather than enjoying the beach or playing in the water, he would merrily traverse from blanket to blanket - being adorable - and either accepting handouts or stealing treats that were not closely guarded. Like a truffle hound who can detect valuable culinary morsels in the earth, Snoopy had a refined skill for locating abandoned goldfish crackers in the sand. Over the years, I had to pay a few people for the snacks he stole- once he ate someone's half-burrito that they had left! I left them $10. Needless to say, we stopped taking the dogs to the beach in the summer, when this whole blanket-surfing trend was truly unstoppable! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCpvy4Ag2E6asY2kgYhNNaNiHp20zHu2p1feYJzNMQTNzlKgzJ16FqRvg8gsFDvJlroIWmx23Pl_VrDj1LYaMNEsp_mTwPqpTCTsM13JrL9-8OpvVU-GM8YcuScs-DtyV5TfiSw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1893" data-original-width="2048" height="591" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCpvy4Ag2E6asY2kgYhNNaNiHp20zHu2p1feYJzNMQTNzlKgzJ16FqRvg8gsFDvJlroIWmx23Pl_VrDj1LYaMNEsp_mTwPqpTCTsM13JrL9-8OpvVU-GM8YcuScs-DtyV5TfiSw/w640-h591/IMG_20190221_155554_008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Snoopy was a founding member of the <b>Sunshine Club,</b> whose furry members dedicate their time to locating and appreciating the sunniest parts of the house all year long. For years, Snoopy co-chaired this committee with his benevolent colleague Yummers Potatoes, and he took over the position of full chairman after Yummers' passing. Dedicated to sun bathing well beyond the point of comfort, he would often lie in the sun, panting maniacally, but refusing to move to a cooler location. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwmH-rJbiOfHjcrZvvolDsxcj3sqWhNq0gAKoH8-92ebYKnKp_3W8ywQnAmsjjKZ4bD8IijCLwBARfuE1EF9mFtxTdYOXXB2S3Kjtc2H28mQ0UQJrbNMGuyq9nuBDRqduvBRlJg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwmH-rJbiOfHjcrZvvolDsxcj3sqWhNq0gAKoH8-92ebYKnKp_3W8ywQnAmsjjKZ4bD8IijCLwBARfuE1EF9mFtxTdYOXXB2S3Kjtc2H28mQ0UQJrbNMGuyq9nuBDRqduvBRlJg/w640-h480/IMG_20190519_171603.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Look at this silky boi.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>It is important to mention that Snoopy was VERY SILKY. You don't end up with nicknames like "Silky Bottoms" or "Silky Svelte-o" for nothing, you guys. He was so soft and lithe and wiggly. See how his little body just melts into that sunny sofa? He loved to be petted and scritched and held and snuggled. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErnHDAwxBhsMbxunnCsqRPNLB_U_lDw2ikKd3e1ylPf__eJhwXcBhhcpoI9t8OheFEBMxGlWK7UmmGZ5nCSe_M8e60GwDifX_dnKFNur0Hwc_z-UWYLMoh6S2xt4PN0vyI9MpnQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErnHDAwxBhsMbxunnCsqRPNLB_U_lDw2ikKd3e1ylPf__eJhwXcBhhcpoI9t8OheFEBMxGlWK7UmmGZ5nCSe_M8e60GwDifX_dnKFNur0Hwc_z-UWYLMoh6S2xt4PN0vyI9MpnQ/w640-h480/IMG_20200326_145912.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jumping Bean of Joy</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">At the very end of his life, as he lost his sight and hearing and experience dementia, Snoopy became more nervous and needy - and being held, or being in his little doggie bed always calmed him down again. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">But happily, for the vast majority of his life, he was truly not a nervous being - he felt safe and confident in the world. He didn't have any deep emotional wounds or grudges to bear - <b>he had such a light spirit</b> that was truly appreciated by all the rest of us in the family. He helped us each find our own inner goofball.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">When he was 7 years old, he had a major medical event, and was immediately paralyzed in all 4 legs, and required emergency spinal surgery in the middle of the night, at a hospital several hours from our house. It was so hard to make the decision on his behalf - but it was his joy for life that inspired us to go through with the surgery. The whole process of recovery was very long and trying (for all of us) - but his spirit and drive to play, be with us, be carried along on walks, etc was SO STRONG. That process of nursing him back to health was so incredibly intense and </span>poignant, and I know it's a big part of the reason that I felt such a deep intimate connection with him. We could stare into each other's eyes forever. He was so trusting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So many times we've expressed how glad we are that we took that leap of faith in having the surgery done, because he enjoyed his life post-surgery SO much for SO many more years. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the surgery the doctors told us that "he shouldn't jump anymore". Ha ha ha. We drove ourselves loony trying to enforce that for a bit, but ultimately conceded that you just couldn't take the jump out of this guy. <span style="text-align: left;">We called him <b>Jumping Bean</b> because he was <b>always</b> jumping. Even at age 18, with almost no mobility, the second we got out the food bowls for dinner, he would fling himself up into the air like a salmon swimming upstream, and come crashing down... only to do it again and again. Ha ha. So Much Exurberance. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NZDKgv5BWUELaItMbC_Pwj4hlMu9uzwMEU9gKbr02FKhC23rhb8vBjILz0iXHhek1nt2YPlhoewBQpc7skyzn2WZpq_96muYiDoipX7LCa3-onOzUqGE9oUy7lriWTHmGKUzjQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NZDKgv5BWUELaItMbC_Pwj4hlMu9uzwMEU9gKbr02FKhC23rhb8vBjILz0iXHhek1nt2YPlhoewBQpc7skyzn2WZpq_96muYiDoipX7LCa3-onOzUqGE9oUy7lriWTHmGKUzjQ/w400-h300/MVIMG_20181110_155438.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">cheeky scritches</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEn0GqJyS5tt_QRVuG_qqciXimWzt-IXfIbsdvDhhlpSJmpLCzoHDBENYwQN9dKFTCVgyhl0Mb2lBpZWUZdJ-nays55A7M_uGU-DqboDi2HkjHAcpJRp4AMyVv9Uir77tP68OZQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEn0GqJyS5tt_QRVuG_qqciXimWzt-IXfIbsdvDhhlpSJmpLCzoHDBENYwQN9dKFTCVgyhl0Mb2lBpZWUZdJ-nays55A7M_uGU-DqboDi2HkjHAcpJRp4AMyVv9Uir77tP68OZQ/w400-h400/2015-06-03+07.36.07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Good Boy Spot</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lastly, Snoopy was The World's Best Snuggle Dog. He had a special spot, right next to my right armpit, called "The Good Boy Spot." He would jump up in bed and wait for his invitation "come to your Good Boy Spot!" then he would hop on over, and cuddle in for the night. All night. Every night. For all his years. He always had some part touching me. On hot nights, sometimes it would just be his little silky bum. On cold nights, he'd be smooshed up tightly against me all night long. He was like a teddy bear, but real and alive and better than any teddy bear ever. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When I was a little girl, dreaming of having a dog of my own one day, Snoopy was everything I could have possibly dreamt of for myself. I didn't take a single moment of cuddles and laughter for granted with this little nugget. What a giant spirit in a tiny body. I hope that all his joy and spunk and energy is dissipating far and wide around the world... Cheers to you Snoopy!</div><br /><br /><p></p></div>Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-12005134621235438582021-05-05T15:53:00.000-07:002021-05-05T15:53:05.341-07:00I Bought a Papaya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrp-E0ZfexrS-c8qc0kFgel0YySetd77MqzhoLesnps3gCc4YqTN50LRuciaZD7pTROtxoMMQB-d24RX-O6V0aIhYgdv5TQfiJ113rWOBMUJYq540hgWpwgwsNddDqK-vdwdCAg/w444-h640/more+papaya.jpg" style="text-align: left;" width="444" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><font size="4">The Papaya in Question</font></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This entire post is dedicated to the fact that <b>I bought a papaya for myself, ate it, loved it, and went back and bought another papaya.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the thing, where I live in Coastal California, there is abundant local, organic, seasonal fruit all year long. Whatever time of year it is, I can purchase great fruit for myself at the market: apples and pears, oranges and pomelos, berries and cherries, melons, etc. So I almost never buy tropical fruit. It's not quite a moral principle... but it's just like "I don't need to do that, so I shouldn't." I probably buy bananas 1-2x a year if the spirit moves me, and lately I have been enjoying the occassional chocolate-dipped frozen banana. Mangos, maybe 1 per year, but they're rarely as good as I know they could be. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But a papaya? I don't know how long it had been. Easily a few years. For some reason, as soon as Covid and the shelter-in-place restrictions hit our community, I started thinking about papayas. It was a very stressful time for me, because my business partners and I had to make the decision to move all the yoga classes online, learn how to teach online, tell the students, etc. It was overwhelming. And I kept thinking about papayas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH57woMw6FKPbOpojxxRgaqpjRfkI5CRuBd8ZAJ8UZ7yxJQAPUgUkaGi2vzpj73VFhaM7ycE9jEPqZNBePARyH5UDrcnpE86xL1dN_dCjnQUHTcCWzb3Qv1pjOyfvFecw3YQOtgQ/s1600/papaya.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1013" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH57woMw6FKPbOpojxxRgaqpjRfkI5CRuBd8ZAJ8UZ7yxJQAPUgUkaGi2vzpj73VFhaM7ycE9jEPqZNBePARyH5UDrcnpE86xL1dN_dCjnQUHTcCWzb3Qv1pjOyfvFecw3YQOtgQ/w640-h490/papaya.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>This is the second papaya.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So, finally, after about six weeks, I drove down to the little open-air produce market near our house and BOUGHT MYSELF A GOSH-DARNED PAPAYA.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Guess what??? It was extremely perfect, excellent, delicious. Everything I ever wanted it to be. It was huge, so I parsed it out over 4 days, in 4 big bowls of giant papaya chunks, doused liberally with fresh lime juice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELbaU5gnQHPOsxExaUK04_1R3UXc9tmW1u1YUkdSfJZ8QepH7BMyXBUbW4WuJ1bueIpb_qA0Ge6JYV1dY1kPVBfDeckVM4WTGVrabCcPswvjWi7PFhTP-5xgMiegXaRorFu5dbA/s1600/papaya2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1013" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELbaU5gnQHPOsxExaUK04_1R3UXc9tmW1u1YUkdSfJZ8QepH7BMyXBUbW4WuJ1bueIpb_qA0Ge6JYV1dY1kPVBfDeckVM4WTGVrabCcPswvjWi7PFhTP-5xgMiegXaRorFu5dbA/w640-h546/papaya2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Bask in the glory</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Believe you me, I have been indulging in all the usual comfort foods of chocolate and carbs as much as the next stressed out global citizen... but these papayas filled a special and mysterious void in my heart. I will probably have to go get another one, even though now berry season is fast approaching. I mean, one more. Right? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmcp7uOavlTwYnjZPnfxg_BjXLtPt-SUzxwdZc7on2xwo8yntJA0SuqvVoPrCr7Y5Ddz-c76-Pbmkm_lTWnmbC0rlm0skXnIu8ZmRpuBcPNMBdiXE10r3u_bWKw1D8ezpioHMEw/s632/papaya+dreams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="632" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmcp7uOavlTwYnjZPnfxg_BjXLtPt-SUzxwdZc7on2xwo8yntJA0SuqvVoPrCr7Y5Ddz-c76-Pbmkm_lTWnmbC0rlm0skXnIu8ZmRpuBcPNMBdiXE10r3u_bWKw1D8ezpioHMEw/w400-h280/papaya+dreams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>dreaming of more papayas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-64986202277504330732021-04-21T14:06:00.002-07:002021-04-21T14:06:53.843-07:00Lime Bonanza: Marmalade, Jam, Syrup, Juice...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Forward: Thank you all so much for your resounding encouragement to publish some of the blog posts I wrote last year but somehow never hit "publish." This is the first of several! I wrote this last year, but it's well-timed because our lime tree is going full throttle at this very moment. I've given away huge boxes of limes, and plan to start another batch of marmalade this afternoon. I hope you enjoy the post! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~ </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have a really lovely lime tree, and it goes through these phases where it just pumps out SO MANY LIMES. In the "olden days," I used to bring huge boxes of limes into my yoga classes and share them with my students. But this year, everything was shut down.. and there were literally limes raining down upon us. I can't stand watching good food go to waste, so I got busy! I did lots of new things that I'd never done before, and made a few old favorites. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSzSj4A3ClJBAOCXkflBUlMFx6AFdDnr4SnwCZz28BNQIhJ6norGajb45Ul-q2rB5DvcWWXQxXBOMcik5rnUlh1e5cQsqj8Q8fiR_2pOM_gTHwbBEXSrMAG7OPog-6L3uXJK2KA/s1600/marmalade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSzSj4A3ClJBAOCXkflBUlMFx6AFdDnr4SnwCZz28BNQIhJ6norGajb45Ul-q2rB5DvcWWXQxXBOMcik5rnUlh1e5cQsqj8Q8fiR_2pOM_gTHwbBEXSrMAG7OPog-6L3uXJK2KA/s640/marmalade.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>First up, Lime Marmalade!</b></div></b>
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One project I did make time for was a big batch of my Lime Marmalade - ripe fruit waits for no man, and pandemic-or-not, it was time to get cookin'. I use two different varieties of limes from our trees: Bearrs Limes (which look like lemons) and Calamondin Limes (which look like tiny tangerines). Together they make a really wonderful marmalade! I use <a href="https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2014/01/award-winning-marmalade-traditional-lemon-and-lime-marmalade-recipe.html">this recipe</a> every time, but I reduce the sugar quite a bit, and just boil a bit longer to get a good set. This was a late-night project, and it was so fun to set out all the jars in the backyard for their big photoshoot and see how beautiful they are. Marmalade tastes amazing and is also so beautiful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglytWWOxmtT_Ohk2A8iFpTmDzFRiaK12YNixbN1ZL_TKFD8Voy9Ob-D606R0Uortau4-TpjOYrADfh7oSq4zVsACqZAkNKWUjuR73xgInkvIlBk97fn7e-9sgv2uU9VtCP_4xNNA/s1600/limes+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1013" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglytWWOxmtT_Ohk2A8iFpTmDzFRiaK12YNixbN1ZL_TKFD8Voy9Ob-D606R0Uortau4-TpjOYrADfh7oSq4zVsACqZAkNKWUjuR73xgInkvIlBk97fn7e-9sgv2uU9VtCP_4xNNA/s640/limes+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>All in a day's work. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For a while there, I could pick up at least this many limes (and a few oranges) every couple days. These are just the ones that fell off the tree onto the ground! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayNpkSH8FxBAD8eF_Adqz1MYONNAlNWxE7rl8-rpxfjTlH9vXf9hzOBhTpHs-POh7Za93ZY3ve-0NdyrjJbHcDx_X1McNdzlsQuQYGqMN4UIqKtxltxbe6NtMf9OnkKEwIGogTg/s1600/IMG_20200515_155745.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayNpkSH8FxBAD8eF_Adqz1MYONNAlNWxE7rl8-rpxfjTlH9vXf9hzOBhTpHs-POh7Za93ZY3ve-0NdyrjJbHcDx_X1McNdzlsQuQYGqMN4UIqKtxltxbe6NtMf9OnkKEwIGogTg/w400-h300/IMG_20200515_155745.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>lime juice ice cubes!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One easy thing I did was make two batches of lime juice cubes. The funny thing about our lime tree is that it goes through these phases of overwhelming abundance, and then long stretches where the tree is busy making a new batch of limes. So, these ice cubes will be good to have when the limes are gone, whenever a recipe calls for fresh lime juice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Juicing up the Wazoo</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The first couple batches I did, I didn't even bother doing anything productive with these lime peels. Later, I learned that I could have dried them in the dehydrator and made lime powder!! I really look forward to doing that NEXT TIME. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I filled several large jars full of juice... and then I had to put it all to use! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="991" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLc63kPT6h3lY5qTdmdAyQtyMPMx83mmEp337ljVgVdtQK2OCCvINRQa0Cw2d85NeH3FENXPSHRY4KUgf5GK6VhnWtsJwrR0H38kpVnNCDRXrgpcK6EU_60jp8htJeNGkWHLoSOQ/w528-h640/canning+bonanza.jpg" style="text-align: left;" width="528" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>CANNING BONANZA! </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So, I went on a serious canning rampage! I made:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~ <b>Straight-Up Canned Lime Juice:</b> I had never done this before. I just brought the lime juice to a boil, canned it (in tiny jars), and boiled the jars for 5-10 minutes. So easy! This is cool because they're shelf-stable and won't take up value covid-hoarding space in the freezer like the lime juice cubes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~ <b>Lime Syrup:</b> This was another new one for me! I looked at a few recipes online and ended up doing 3 cups lime juice to 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil, simmer until the sugar is totally dissolved, can it up, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. I love this stuff! Limeade on demand, all year long! I've been adding a little teaspoon or two to my fizzy water, and it's great. The limes are finally slowing down, but I think I'll make another batch of this before they stop entirely, because it's really nice! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZyFikrZK2-AlAZk9zuBjFUELwBpCCtDog56aYlriEWevd1nxGWf8RAH5WwrluGxBgrsObRl3ztCFBAPO8KBf-Y8oFahipDF2EqDJ_K-X-DxU5WEFKdRURJMHhwrkNhGnNVsTtQ/s1200/canning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="1200" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZyFikrZK2-AlAZk9zuBjFUELwBpCCtDog56aYlriEWevd1nxGWf8RAH5WwrluGxBgrsObRl3ztCFBAPO8KBf-Y8oFahipDF2EqDJ_K-X-DxU5WEFKdRURJMHhwrkNhGnNVsTtQ/w640-h270/canning.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><div style="text-align: left;">~ <b>Blueberry Lime Jam:</b> Yet another new-to-me recipe! There are several blueberry-lime jam recipes out there, and in the end I used<a href="https://www.fabfood4all.co.uk/blueberry-lime-jam-a-heavenly-pairing/"> this recipe</a>. I recently found a cool neighbor who sells blueberries - (and honestly this jam doesn't use that many limes) - so this was really a fun project. I'll probably keep 1 jar for use and give some away for xmas gifts. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~ and ... I made another <b>HUGE double batch of marmalade! </b>This time I used the Bearrs Limes, the Calamondin limes, and about a half pound of Meyer lemons. Oh my gosh, just look at all those beautiful jars of goodness. I've already given several jars away, and some will be xmas gifties too. I could seriously look deep into the eyes of marmalade forever. It's so pretty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-zNooDUGRS5A_h9daVieiLt6ANoW95zJ6V0Felaya-x_j8gJPh1vEiRdX0IoPo7Fa7YO7T-rdJBwwkdCYU34S3dBtO84cd59semfMln3ImdY3tXHjX4dSth_sNLLw2OIBXpliA/s1200/dried+limes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="1200" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-zNooDUGRS5A_h9daVieiLt6ANoW95zJ6V0Felaya-x_j8gJPh1vEiRdX0IoPo7Fa7YO7T-rdJBwwkdCYU34S3dBtO84cd59semfMln3ImdY3tXHjX4dSth_sNLLw2OIBXpliA/w640-h270/dried+limes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Dried Limes!!!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Huge props to my friend and yoga student Carol for suggesting that since I love Persian food so much, I might try my hand at making dried limes! I can't believe it had never occurred to me to make these. I just assumed they would be made with some special limes or something. NOPE! I watched a few youtube videos - and they were easy to make. Blanch the limes in salted water for 90 seconds. Cool in freezer or ice water. Set outside until shriveled and blackened. We were having a little heat spell, so my limes spent the first couple days outside drying. For better or for worse, Coastal California isn't quite as dry and toasty as the desert climate of Iran, so the fog rolled in and I finished drying my limes in two overnight stints at 170F in the oven. So cool! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the funky flavor that dried limes impart, and I'm pretty thrilled to have my own homemade batch on hand. I have a couple recipes bookmarked to put them to use soon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aVdEU7X3EGIIgj3qyeOgCRKWFqzM2hxDmLvmiKDBLC_W1mqf_69k5MA5wLtubgR6mI_Ie5I4sDvtxmlEfC0F8snXbkcnQXpAHlzIfM7IfW2jiZXzU8xFpOrDIGe2dFiMwR0izg/s3243/IMG_20200625_131456+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3243" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aVdEU7X3EGIIgj3qyeOgCRKWFqzM2hxDmLvmiKDBLC_W1mqf_69k5MA5wLtubgR6mI_Ie5I4sDvtxmlEfC0F8snXbkcnQXpAHlzIfM7IfW2jiZXzU8xFpOrDIGe2dFiMwR0izg/w373-h400/IMG_20200625_131456+%25281%2529.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Candied Citrus Peel!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also made a big batch of candied peels - mostly limes, a few oranges from our orange tree, a grapefruit, and a couple pomelos too. It was a fun project and I canned the syrup from boiling the peels afterwards too. You can't really tell, but this is a BIG ziplock full of candied peels. I'll be able to munch on these, and also use them in baked goods. Yum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JgRsH6ALg9-kATb1vh3WTLXI77j1ytatMLKZxu_9rn_H7RvJXsjT_T4P70t7rEe1OSbNjerCiec3eUgl9Wf6UtxzoW-wOWkcK1eyWEo0rpjpQdcapu2J7mWEdcqhg7Xb5ey5aA/s922/limes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="922" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JgRsH6ALg9-kATb1vh3WTLXI77j1ytatMLKZxu_9rn_H7RvJXsjT_T4P70t7rEe1OSbNjerCiec3eUgl9Wf6UtxzoW-wOWkcK1eyWEo0rpjpQdcapu2J7mWEdcqhg7Xb5ey5aA/w640-h442/limes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, there you have it! There are just a few limes left now... so I'll use them wisely, and get to work on other culinary projects in the meantime. All this canning and lime-ing was a nice duty to have during the most stressful shelter-in-place days... but I'm also a little relieved to be done with all those limes coming out of my ears!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-81559778857934378502021-04-05T21:25:00.000-07:002021-04-05T21:25:09.080-07:00Burning Question Buns & Brunch<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy SpringTime! </span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6OatvxwJ82A7FMC2tnN6G2uMJoQG1J676LbDp6XE9yOmx5VKcGb0vQs3SgObsfJL0FUIeZotwHMb3MAXgIM7jG1qnkCW03C3mf95ok-R4QrPwc_cbKA8nvSCVNezbaqLeE7gTQ/s4032/IMG_1940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6OatvxwJ82A7FMC2tnN6G2uMJoQG1J676LbDp6XE9yOmx5VKcGb0vQs3SgObsfJL0FUIeZotwHMb3MAXgIM7jG1qnkCW03C3mf95ok-R4QrPwc_cbKA8nvSCVNezbaqLeE7gTQ/w640-h480/IMG_1940.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This weekend we had a very sweet little brunch-in-the-backyard with my parents - "just us chickens," as we say in our family. We aren't Easter people, per se, but we are definitely "any chance to get together" people! And so a brunch was convened! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made a nice little spread, and my mom brought over some of her cute spring-y decor items. I know it seems like a ton of food - ha ha - but my nephew was also supposed to come and couldn't at the last minute.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1yOBmHIzsNMfuzp6pold7gwA1Gbge21HuP2FhEFFKi5bKuG5flRjDcPDaNUn3k85oeoZ39fninV5N3sokB5D3cpntRYzWL32L8ONJnwt-V0o1T85DTk5wtDXKRIp17pc9S7Eiw/s2048/IMG_1955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1697" data-original-width="2048" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1yOBmHIzsNMfuzp6pold7gwA1Gbge21HuP2FhEFFKi5bKuG5flRjDcPDaNUn3k85oeoZ39fninV5N3sokB5D3cpntRYzWL32L8ONJnwt-V0o1T85DTk5wtDXKRIp17pc9S7Eiw/w400-h331/IMG_1955.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made five glasses of <b>freshly-squeezed orange juice</b> with oranges from our very own tree! It was so good. Our orange trees have lots of oranges on them, but you have to be patient! I usually just wait until they fall off the tree, and save those until there are enough for some OJ!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Roasted Asparagus!! </b>Asparagus is a must-have, of course! I got two big bunches at the farmers market, and Googled "how to roast asparagus." I think maaaaybe I've roasted asparagus before but, geez, <i>I'm in love!!</i> It was super easy, took about 12 minutes, and they were delicious!!! Definitely my new go-to method.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also made <b>two kinds of breakfast sausage links</b>: Field Roast and Beyond Meat. None of us had ever tried the Beyond Meat links before. We all agreed that we preferred the look and texture of the Beyond Meat links, but the Field Roast links had better flavor. So, I'll probably stick with Field Roast, because, in the end, flavor wins.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And <b>fruit salad</b>, cuz ya gotta have it! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSf1QTUd9puPhchTF_GtxdF2rdVQjuBAXpojyvA2MqXmfkoR7fFm8Av2E4yK2-xvWtH4gYrO7QhY_7Rg6Rb4ModHH3_9U7X5GNxwnroNb7ukYPynUU5Dn8tkhm_Wi8IEkOEkNabg/s2771/IMG_1938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2771" data-original-width="2749" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSf1QTUd9puPhchTF_GtxdF2rdVQjuBAXpojyvA2MqXmfkoR7fFm8Av2E4yK2-xvWtH4gYrO7QhY_7Rg6Rb4ModHH3_9U7X5GNxwnroNb7ukYPynUU5Dn8tkhm_Wi8IEkOEkNabg/w396-h400/IMG_1938.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Burning Question Buns! </b></div><p>I am a true fan of Hot Cross Buns, but the cross never really reflects my belief system. Delicious fruity buns certainly do though! So, Mr. VE&T had the excellent idea to put big question marks on the buns!! YES. At first, we called them Hot Question Buns, and Agnosti-Buns, but then Mr VE&T came up with BURNING QUESTION BUNS. Excellent. Finally, I feel seen by my holiday baked goods.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXiF6TuSbvEUJ-TByEdrRoiX-NHcssW8V444GDEnxPfmjmSkZlTU3vOE_9-guOiRmse9qRvz5x2BJfSczwl7VAk4svo9DFGTS7lc0XV4yONc4AqyH4uvuR9hyRlJPwwcPsVPMFA/s811/burning+question+buns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="811" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXiF6TuSbvEUJ-TByEdrRoiX-NHcssW8V444GDEnxPfmjmSkZlTU3vOE_9-guOiRmse9qRvz5x2BJfSczwl7VAk4svo9DFGTS7lc0XV4yONc4AqyH4uvuR9hyRlJPwwcPsVPMFA/w400-h284/burning+question+buns.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9aNzVWzsfmFzOFF59InZ1iBUXTXtBp3rXGBDcovbg3UQpexkfX0yEe0bVIGfxzbuD7JEsrYx_euPjRchw48h1_yySuyz1McRJofGO_4m8s-BsGASKAbJvZ992v-wSQ_K7ZlrNQ/s4032/IMG_1943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9aNzVWzsfmFzOFF59InZ1iBUXTXtBp3rXGBDcovbg3UQpexkfX0yEe0bVIGfxzbuD7JEsrYx_euPjRchw48h1_yySuyz1McRJofGO_4m8s-BsGASKAbJvZ992v-wSQ_K7ZlrNQ/w640-h480/IMG_1943.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My plate of deliciousness. Don't be fooled, I totes went back for more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have these cute little Peter Rabbit napkins left over from a baby shower - which was co-incidentally the very last gathering we held before covid changed everything! Perfectly appropriate for Easter-y celebrations! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLiiyAlTsJ73Q-O80x17j1V4Ae8-sIzFVkIyfFm5nmZIPZjJMC1dT_9DbwCmsMvkk8rzPDfxnb9zFx4w_dQlHNytXIsOlJJUqZlOajXaRCADAcNXBB0t-PMytrVfjbXWwWKgCfQ/s2048/IMG_1956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1697" data-original-width="2048" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLiiyAlTsJ73Q-O80x17j1V4Ae8-sIzFVkIyfFm5nmZIPZjJMC1dT_9DbwCmsMvkk8rzPDfxnb9zFx4w_dQlHNytXIsOlJJUqZlOajXaRCADAcNXBB0t-PMytrVfjbXWwWKgCfQ/w400-h331/IMG_1956.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My mom even brought over a little Smurfette dressed up as the Easter Bunny, back from my days as a smurf-collecting kiddo. I used to be SERIOUSLY into Smurfs. Ha ha. See my cute plate with a bunny on it? I have four of them, and in each one, the bunny is holding something different - a strawberry, a carrot... they're so cute. I literally use them once a year. ha ha. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had a really long and lovely visit together with my parents. My parents are both vaccinated now, and I even got to sit next to my mom on our little patio sofa. Ahh. Such a sweet and tender joy. We talked and talked about a million things, laughed, ate, and relaxed. It was all quite sweet. You know how it is... we just don't take anything for granted these days. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqkdQmketiRf79dRZCc18BITwG7EXi2gMvjuP5zgr-0wZrEDFpsBK6S4d9mV-CKXXb6nEr1LxCwnnpJoF8pYaDdPvY4WeFcE6GQfHNkdV6aAxDghsf07Yo1vDrSvycP05XYS3xQ/s4032/IMG_1954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqkdQmketiRf79dRZCc18BITwG7EXi2gMvjuP5zgr-0wZrEDFpsBK6S4d9mV-CKXXb6nEr1LxCwnnpJoF8pYaDdPvY4WeFcE6GQfHNkdV6aAxDghsf07Yo1vDrSvycP05XYS3xQ/w480-h640/IMG_1954.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The jasmine in our backyard is going gangbusters. At night, it smells especially amazing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0SRkQEB8GDWBK4GBgzfn6nCSmdHiE_Kpe3Szb9gobuqOIgwXDPtzmxlNRrKOgOSUyHJ-qjriByogQZb5IEyXhm1JRS5y_VyYzaLOPiaIHmFwcsfC3V4ViHtUDlN-9Sbg7M-pfQ/s4032/IMG_1919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0SRkQEB8GDWBK4GBgzfn6nCSmdHiE_Kpe3Szb9gobuqOIgwXDPtzmxlNRrKOgOSUyHJ-qjriByogQZb5IEyXhm1JRS5y_VyYzaLOPiaIHmFwcsfC3V4ViHtUDlN-9Sbg7M-pfQ/w640-h480/IMG_1919.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Shaggy Chunko is such a good boy and we have been walking them at a place where the grass is tall and green right now. Shaggy loves to run through the tall grass and stop for a nibble or two. Also, see the little white flowers - they're everywhere right now, and they're so sweet and delicate.<p></p><p>I hope you are able to enjoy springtime, and that you are finding some joy and support in all the greenery and blossoms and blue skies. </p><p><br /></p><p>-- Also! I have a funny question: I have at least 7-8 blog posts that I pretty much entirely wrote last year and never published... mostly because our scanner was busted and so I couldn't add doodles to my posts and that was enough to never finish them. Should I still publish them? I also have some overdue book reviews to write, so I will pledge to do that! </p><p> </p>Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-88482675456683535312021-03-21T14:40:00.007-07:002021-03-21T14:40:41.740-07:00NoRooz Mobarak! <p></p><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZt7wKf8zFHaXOn3KJ0vt-fNrVYq94rMpSr3Awi9dcIbU8kCM2jDQcS9OCKTf4hXYZ5IPuYcqffb7GSlcSmKoC3Evqly1oz3uI-aYizxTJL2_53UuQnBBbDw8rSwa4kvbZjM25g/s4032/IMG_1459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZt7wKf8zFHaXOn3KJ0vt-fNrVYq94rMpSr3Awi9dcIbU8kCM2jDQcS9OCKTf4hXYZ5IPuYcqffb7GSlcSmKoC3Evqly1oz3uI-aYizxTJL2_53UuQnBBbDw8rSwa4kvbZjM25g/w480-h640/IMG_1459.jpg" width="480" /><br /></a><span style="color: #a64d79;">NoRooz Mobarak!!</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_VuB5VoX6gCTPAq4MkirwQAp1f_rSzdeozYlv1iJkNf2KsUErbidv6SBp8RDAD9iiaBFt0vL42hl3VvAT9Mmu2wI6ushPVi00sTLBJ6UfpnA99liGWSz224KRQm2rptTBFxJbQ/s858/2021+norooz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="858" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_VuB5VoX6gCTPAq4MkirwQAp1f_rSzdeozYlv1iJkNf2KsUErbidv6SBp8RDAD9iiaBFt0vL42hl3VvAT9Mmu2wI6ushPVi00sTLBJ6UfpnA99liGWSz224KRQm2rptTBFxJbQ/w400-h259/2021+norooz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Happy Persian New Year! Happy Springtime! </b>Nothing like my favorite holiday of the whole year to pull me back to the blogosphere... NoRooz is celebrated on the vernal equinox, and last year, it arrived just about 10 days after we had closed down our yoga studio and the fear and newness of Covid restrictions were at a peak. With a heavy heart, I emailed everyone and cancelled our NoRooz party. We all agreed. It was, as you know, the first of many cancellations! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was so wiped out last year, I didn't make a single special dish, and I didn't even set up my Haft Sin table. This year, I was feeling better - and I so grew my sprouts from lentils and set up my beautiful table (and moved it outside for our gathering)... just this act made me feel so happy and festive. It's amazing how traditions take on so much meaning over the years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vv0yh1lgI18BcUlXxaOIgTEX6qsTxQ5lVr9X_2SjzwSE9cGZn_w9XE8yp_BvY-LHJMG6OQEI7SM_prbgnz5JlLkNbi-fvEHKx1XyR4q5jqugxZ2EpuZAOfb3LBn-2P6l4xT9Bg/s2048/20210320_132556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vv0yh1lgI18BcUlXxaOIgTEX6qsTxQ5lVr9X_2SjzwSE9cGZn_w9XE8yp_BvY-LHJMG6OQEI7SM_prbgnz5JlLkNbi-fvEHKx1XyR4q5jqugxZ2EpuZAOfb3LBn-2P6l4xT9Bg/w640-h480/20210320_132556.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">me showing off the table of food and explaining the dishes to everyone</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>This year, one year later, we bravely decided to gather a small group for a backyard celebration. I can't even tell you how much this meant to me - the joy of anticipation and planning, the joy of cooking for people I love, the joy of togetherness! Having to cancel last year's gathering made this year's downsized event all the sweeter. <p></p><p>There are some very special people who I love and who are so important to me that I didn't get to invite this year. Our backyard isn't tiny, but 8 is about a covid-safe max. I really look forward to next year - when hopefully I can return to invite people with wild abandon!!! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The weather just *barely* cooperated - we had a few sprinkles, and some wind gusts, but by later in the afternoon the sun was out. A perfect first day of spring! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHR0BzSOQf7GX9udfTepLe-iKJ0JvrCVAPhiPrb9em7wkeZpfu1JszBqteRDNP-sUmgwBaJiItBIUZgSq-U5VMT5b-kX_ZOAsA9LpP4O9Y40hTi6mmzxhZIHJ1UR3sOFbarjiA9A/s4032/IMG_1452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHR0BzSOQf7GX9udfTepLe-iKJ0JvrCVAPhiPrb9em7wkeZpfu1JszBqteRDNP-sUmgwBaJiItBIUZgSq-U5VMT5b-kX_ZOAsA9LpP4O9Y40hTi6mmzxhZIHJ1UR3sOFbarjiA9A/w640-h480/IMG_1452.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Kuku Sabzi</b></p><p>Oh my goodness, these guys are SO DELICIOUS. Seriously, everyone needs to know about this recipe - such incredibly interesting and lovely flavors.</p><p>Traditionally, kuku sabzi is an eggy omelette, mixed with bajillions of fresh herbs. Over the years I've veganized it lots of ways. <a href="https://veganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com/2017/03/norooz-mobarak-happy-persian-new-year.html" target="_blank">My recipe can be found here</a> - this year I made an important change: I left out the water!! This was a big improvement as far as cooking time and texture. Also, I cooked them in my muffin tin with silicon muffin cups, which made it MUCH easier to get them out of the muffin tray (after cooling for a few minutes). This is definitely the way to do it! </p><p>NoRooz dishes are often brimming with herbs (parsley, cilantro, chives, spinach, fenugreek, dill, leeks...), which are not only delicious and nutritious, but symbolize all the green growth of springtime! The meaning and beauty behind the symbols of NoRooz is so beautiful and life-affirming. This is why it's such a beloved holiday for me.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBlSpW6I2OtQrk0BPScy0LS2kR9gUrBUMY-WeIVJnFEEll5EXUjL4hZNDIxiQdMa5iY5sKQVns_Vjtaysu8OWA8csHQogw5LXjdtCJVPwudB2-6t15y9ke2bcXE0CQkNN8L2x6A/s4032/IMG_1455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBlSpW6I2OtQrk0BPScy0LS2kR9gUrBUMY-WeIVJnFEEll5EXUjL4hZNDIxiQdMa5iY5sKQVns_Vjtaysu8OWA8csHQogw5LXjdtCJVPwudB2-6t15y9ke2bcXE0CQkNN8L2x6A/w640-h480/IMG_1455.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Cheese Platters</b></div></b><p></p><p>This year I made a *concerted effort* not to over-commit with this little gathering... and actually I was successful, because I had plenty of time to get everything ready before my guests arrived. However, that did mean that I had to somewhat compromise on my usual NoRooz tendencies - I used store-bought bread and store-bought vegan cheese!! GASP. My loving guests forgave me.</p><p>In the interest of keeping everything as covid-safe as possible, I made the cheese into little single-serve nuggets. I bought Treeline Cheese (so good!) and used my melon baller to make mini-balls. Then I rolled these in a mix of parsley, mint, and chopped walnuts. They were great! </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgij54y8Z7uFsbWRoibsPC66VPmfy9Mqg46O7iSgZjbWULhkSrlRkjUyRqKHC_cr-t_kUi3HIPDBFygNyVfQVwZJmr3Ywc2tDaSzgaJ60uGjBEjSANnj5Z_XDISygzxAwdPfQTTLA/s3195/IMG_1456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3195" data-original-width="3005" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgij54y8Z7uFsbWRoibsPC66VPmfy9Mqg46O7iSgZjbWULhkSrlRkjUyRqKHC_cr-t_kUi3HIPDBFygNyVfQVwZJmr3Ywc2tDaSzgaJ60uGjBEjSANnj5Z_XDISygzxAwdPfQTTLA/w376-h400/IMG_1456.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Shirazi Salad</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just the basics and they can't be beat! Lucky me to live in the land of amazing produce - I zipped out of the house at 7:30am and nabbed these *perfect* organic tomatoes and cucumbers straight from the farmers market. What a blessing. I added some red onion, and a simple dressing made with olive oil, pomegranate molasses, red wine vinegar, and lime juice. You can't tell here, but this was a HUGE salad. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If Mr. VE&T had a top-5 foods list, "tomato-cucumber salad" would be near the top. He loves salads like this, and he single-handled polished off all the salad that was left at the end of the day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGETHnMRixtMz5opCRvHltQhT8yGk1RQiXaIx7xDHFgUfcazTbINR5uPeSlRBqLq9t-hxlGFc07oPtAInuOyzPZ_cx1J1wC8LzEx5lghL-CiuC1zE4g0tKvLE4-LHwet5ha_HwA/s3648/IMG_1460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGETHnMRixtMz5opCRvHltQhT8yGk1RQiXaIx7xDHFgUfcazTbINR5uPeSlRBqLq9t-hxlGFc07oPtAInuOyzPZ_cx1J1wC8LzEx5lghL-CiuC1zE4g0tKvLE4-LHwet5ha_HwA/w331-h400/IMG_1460.jpg" width="331" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aash-e Restheh</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oooooh, this soup is so good and so packed with flavors. One of the great things about Persian New Year is that the food is actually quite healthy - so you aren't left feeling blotto afterwards. This amazing and traditional soup is super-simple to veganize by using veggie broth (that's all it takes!). <a href="http://veganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com/2008/03/happy-new-year.html">You can find my recipe here</a>. It's got beans and lentils and spinach and beets and noodles and loads of herbs, and it's absolutely delicious. This is one of the dishes that I most look forward to every year. It takes a good 2-3 hours to make, but since I'm always in the kitchen doing a vast array of NoRooz cooking, it's no trouble at all. I love the aroma as the whole house starts to smell like herbs and turmeric and onions... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-CxbA9QTR0yyvawoDTqxqJVcQe7bPnnRjykZ2NnbSNeRRl1c03D8RB_XF6YTgYqlcb46G52ykMtmHK1EsowR1v0wSmqZCwfOQKWgNsiOgNnjPal3MYkFjL2oPE3WpSvzq1m4JA/s2048/IMG_1489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-CxbA9QTR0yyvawoDTqxqJVcQe7bPnnRjykZ2NnbSNeRRl1c03D8RB_XF6YTgYqlcb46G52ykMtmHK1EsowR1v0wSmqZCwfOQKWgNsiOgNnjPal3MYkFjL2oPE3WpSvzq1m4JA/w640-h640/IMG_1489.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Garnish for the soup</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of which... this is the *amazing* garnish that goes with Aash-e Reshteh: it's onions sliced verrrrrrrry thinly, cooked down and cooked down and cooked down, and then with dried turmeric and dried mint mixed in, and then cooked some more. Oooooooh it's just an incredible flavor BLAST.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I always make a lot so that my beloved friend Jasmine and I don't have to fight over it. Ha ha. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioN3kn7TObBsZNymJqiJmXZmlANhP_6gda2is1yy4ylu5N2a_9vN1ge-hTch7NLzzTew04tYktikvsz09jHc6bh2_VTvRc0DFM6E-z_ATYx1IKZNvofoODnPdn4sjLoDJtsrgEOA/s4032/IMG_1461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioN3kn7TObBsZNymJqiJmXZmlANhP_6gda2is1yy4ylu5N2a_9vN1ge-hTch7NLzzTew04tYktikvsz09jHc6bh2_VTvRc0DFM6E-z_ATYx1IKZNvofoODnPdn4sjLoDJtsrgEOA/w640-h480/IMG_1461.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Sabzi Polow</b></div></b><p></p><p>I'm sure you've heard of Persian rice, and especially of Tahdig - the magical crunchy crust at the bottom of the pot. Let's just say that Persians <i>seriously </i>figured out how to make rice!!! It's more complicated than "throw it in a pot!," but the results are so totes worth it. Sabzi Polow is mixed full of herbs (with just the bottom level left herb-free). I wished I had gotten a *little* bit more of a golden glow on my tahdig, but all in all, I was pleased with this year's polow! There's always a heart-stopping moment-of-truth when you flip your rice pot over onto the serving platter - hoping for a good golden crust and no burnt bits! It's very exciting! <a href="https://veganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com/2017/03/norooz-mobarak-happy-persian-new-year.html">You can find my recipe here</a>. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLMGZGZnY6bVkvxW9fs6A6qEDj4NK6zumB2Gygj5jIEYoskm2kyvuHeuP29N-1FMebaz172Hal4tfWEME5bpKP0a11_du-DS13wuOrzh8Rft3lTYX-l0m9yTI_wwYvJ0AIz1iIA/s4032/IMG_1462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLMGZGZnY6bVkvxW9fs6A6qEDj4NK6zumB2Gygj5jIEYoskm2kyvuHeuP29N-1FMebaz172Hal4tfWEME5bpKP0a11_du-DS13wuOrzh8Rft3lTYX-l0m9yTI_wwYvJ0AIz1iIA/w300-h400/IMG_1462.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Eggplant Pickle by my cousin Bruce! </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wow! How special to receive a very lovely jar of homemade Eggplant pickle made by my cousin Bruce up in Portland. I don't think I've ever actually celebrated NoRooz with Brucie (maybe someday???) - but Bruce and his sister Eliza and their parents lived in Iran for several years before the Iranian Revolution, and they all still speak some Farsi and have many beloved Iranian friends. That side of my family were the first people to introduce me to Iranian culture. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This pickle had special instructions "don't use before the vernal equinox!" - I love that! I was very dutiful, and saved it for NoRooz. I love trying pickles of the world - and this was a great condiment with our meal! Very special. Thank you Bruce! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrPYpee1n8eLvBud6aJEsWImW5pamGsTpjtSmbDNdOb-w7PrpELYtDI6Eu0MqmAu3I086WtzhoOUsNkNknPGISHKy50PXSrUNho6KGWp3hmGmlX2jzpaYwF30EBiwG5K0FX9QYw/s4032/IMG_1458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrPYpee1n8eLvBud6aJEsWImW5pamGsTpjtSmbDNdOb-w7PrpELYtDI6Eu0MqmAu3I086WtzhoOUsNkNknPGISHKy50PXSrUNho6KGWp3hmGmlX2jzpaYwF30EBiwG5K0FX9QYw/w640-h480/IMG_1458.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Limeade!</b></div></b><p></p><p>I made two quick-and-easy pitchers of Limeade: using a simple syrup made with coconut sugar (thus the lovely dark amber color), fizzy water, and lime juice (from our lime trees) - added in some fresh mint leaves and lime slices for extra pizzazz. That super fancy and ornate pitcher came from my dad's grandmother in North Carolina. She had very ornate taste! I don't get to pull it out all that often, for obvious reasons... so it's fun to get it out and put it to use! </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDgUqIX_UW2m-XaS1dKxPZQfIHjzA6NKoocjzsOyVAhtU_En8CFDp8bh3ffVTtwodJE9RS1TqnTac3n0GZntzCB-m5b5AgMAiyz6zfuFT0XLSj37iAiiN26Y2DBD9GI3a710_oA/s4032/IMG_1464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDgUqIX_UW2m-XaS1dKxPZQfIHjzA6NKoocjzsOyVAhtU_En8CFDp8bh3ffVTtwodJE9RS1TqnTac3n0GZntzCB-m5b5AgMAiyz6zfuFT0XLSj37iAiiN26Y2DBD9GI3a710_oA/w640-h480/IMG_1464.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My plate full of goooooooodness</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ahhhhh. So many delicious and magical and beloved flavors all on one plate. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I even busted out my cloth napkins, which were sadly rumpled after one whole year of no entertaining.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ha ha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg6TG3KAjUkEh-VC1jHw2ovFQZXgShyQHDF7AvTaqMSHbrPELl3vvhJ8wQExLlBqXvHzdUlaHP-JIRPybkVHcNZ07BbGb-NIRpTCRRZCDcbmbdyXmLHO7QCiqGf2AtOLqC8c85g/s4032/IMG_1468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg6TG3KAjUkEh-VC1jHw2ovFQZXgShyQHDF7AvTaqMSHbrPELl3vvhJ8wQExLlBqXvHzdUlaHP-JIRPybkVHcNZ07BbGb-NIRpTCRRZCDcbmbdyXmLHO7QCiqGf2AtOLqC8c85g/w640-h480/IMG_1468.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Sweeties Platter!!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Of course you need lots of sweeties for Persian New Year, and it's impossible to pick just one! This year I practiced incredible self-restraint by only making four sweeties. Amazing, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here you have:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Sohan As-Ali</b> - a wonderful almond brittle candy made with rosewater and saffron and then sprinkled with crushed pistachios. Oh my goodness I love these candies so much. Over the years I have gotten better and better at making these - I used to experience so much stress and anxiety every time!! ha ha. If you've ever tried your hand at candy-making, I think you probably know what I mean. I've figured out the drill and also finally bought a digital candy thermometer, which definitely helps! Just writing about these lil babies made me get up and go eat one of the few that we have leftover. Ahhh. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Tut </b>- the little oval ones are marzipans made with almonds, icing sugar, and rosewater, then rolled in sugar and with a little pistachio "stem" poked in at one end. They are meant to resemble mulberries. These candies are so extremely simple to make (if you used pre-ground almond meal, you wouldn't even need a food processor), and they are extremely delicious. Not too sweet, but entirely satisfying. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: rgba(16, 15, 15, 0.99); font-family: brandon-grotesque; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.32px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: rgba(16, 15, 15, 0.99); font-family: brandon-grotesque; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.32px;"><b>Nane-Nokhodchi</b> - </span><span style="text-align: center;">The little golden cookies are made with chickpea flour, cardamom, and rosewater. Mine were a little "spready" this year, but the flavor was delicious. I think these ones are especially good the next day! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpMXSFFbVm1pXX2D1k6ooBqZMqKeKCs6eiZrd-1PVPSj0K3G0jr-UDURivugvQMavGhiazkOP9amLXKDWqc8LK7MSqH4rL5BK3qkAG4_M-YiCYuqNL0qXh7Y8GvhuHzobiCSgag/s4032/IMG_1466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpMXSFFbVm1pXX2D1k6ooBqZMqKeKCs6eiZrd-1PVPSj0K3G0jr-UDURivugvQMavGhiazkOP9amLXKDWqc8LK7MSqH4rL5BK3qkAG4_M-YiCYuqNL0qXh7Y8GvhuHzobiCSgag/w480-h640/IMG_1466.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Mini-Key Lime Pies!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wait! Mini-Key Pies don't sound very Persian!!!??? You're right! However, key lime pie is a traditional part of *our family's celebration*, because my dad's birthday is today (March 21st). Key Lime Pie is one of his very favorite treats. Instead of making one beautiful pie like I usually do, I went for single serve, covid-safe, mini pies!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(bonus Shaggy Chunko sighting in the background. He follows me everywhere! He could literally be in every picture I took if I just zoomed out a little. ha ha)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbjitQYvBtAz43rrMiB2UTPOLM2OlHoChpSBcjAOX_kYnYCyKcrdYkJ4vaJ4uAbvOrgcwTqz-R3It-hY53ZVX5myMxjpuEmFsR5LgDggKZRpPkIrh44w6jD5F_Q_X7C3R_baWtg/s4032/IMG_1472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbjitQYvBtAz43rrMiB2UTPOLM2OlHoChpSBcjAOX_kYnYCyKcrdYkJ4vaJ4uAbvOrgcwTqz-R3It-hY53ZVX5myMxjpuEmFsR5LgDggKZRpPkIrh44w6jD5F_Q_X7C3R_baWtg/w480-h640/IMG_1472.jpg" width="480" /></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Birthday Boy! and my Momsie!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today my dad is 84 years old, and just got his second vaccine this week. Wooo! My mom is all vaxxed up and once my dad's 2-week post-vaccination wait is over, I'm gonna give that guy a big ol' hug!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful and perfect NoRooz - a sweet vibe with everyone feeling so grateful to be together and to have an opportunity to recognize the new year and appreciate the fresh energy and beauty of spring time. I hope you're doing okay out there, and that you can find a little way to mark the arrival of spring. <3 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFg3niMz6u-GC4jDfAMytrMpDybY-5jhGwKFR3be4YDObb3Dqsb6Xm0l2QfywV-r3xRrQLi183Yc-pmFH4KTHSpopFd5z0ohtUNfkGc1Y4adgZdPDmejgXrllaXdXlK-TTWPn7Q/s696/dishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="696" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFg3niMz6u-GC4jDfAMytrMpDybY-5jhGwKFR3be4YDObb3Dqsb6Xm0l2QfywV-r3xRrQLi183Yc-pmFH4KTHSpopFd5z0ohtUNfkGc1Y4adgZdPDmejgXrllaXdXlK-TTWPn7Q/w400-h276/dishes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">p.s. One good thing about entertaining outside is that no one can see that your kitchen looks like a BOMB went off. ha ha ha Oh Lordy, it took me a good few hours to do all the dishes and get the kitchen back in working order after all of that! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-7486991068527973672020-06-26T12:07:00.000-07:002020-06-26T12:07:30.573-07:00Introducing Shaggy Chunko!! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4OiCGe1FzVW2xmjsJSRiFWxmL92SXMJ5GJLP0pMXcP_BVGTXTOLTwt3YVD4pDQ92w5SVDx2d9PUIwBJNc22-fOw9tQ0pGGElInX4JO0We-u5uTV1YUBwVALBbI0MBpqIdfPJHQ/s1600/00100lrPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200429172108683_COVER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4OiCGe1FzVW2xmjsJSRiFWxmL92SXMJ5GJLP0pMXcP_BVGTXTOLTwt3YVD4pDQ92w5SVDx2d9PUIwBJNc22-fOw9tQ0pGGElInX4JO0We-u5uTV1YUBwVALBbI0MBpqIdfPJHQ/s640/00100lrPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200429172108683_COVER.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><font size="6">Shaggy Chunko!</font></span></b></div>
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A couple months ago, we adopted a new dog! If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you're already up to date on #shaggychunko - but I thought this newest family member deserved a post <b>all of his own </b>here on the blog.<br />
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We got Mr. Chunko just about a month after Stevie died... and honestly we weren't really planning on another dog. We thought we would let our whole pack move to the Great Beyond and then we would have time for travel and global adventures. Then Covid came along and it was immediately clear that we wouldn't be traveling anywhere for quite some time. <br />
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Buddies</b></div>
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Also, our little old Snoopy was SO sad and SO lost without Stevie and Dottie. He is 17, and has quite a bit of dementia. His disposition is still 100% joy, but he can quickly become disoriented and not know what's going on or where he is. He really relied on Stevie and Dottie and orbited around them. We knew that, but it was extra sad to see him on his own. </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first few days after Shaggy Chunks came home were a little unsteady, but now these two are always next to one another - it's SO sweet and Snoopy is so much happier. Shaggy Chunko is a born snuggler and insists on being near Snoopy. It's so adorable.</div>
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Every single Morning</b></div>
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We got Chunko from a listing on Nextdoor. For the last 18 months or so, he had belonged to an elderly couple with a lot of medical problems, and they had both recently passed away (within 10 days of one another). Their daughter was looking for a home for Shaggy. We met them at the park - with face masks and proper social distancing of course! - and lo and behold, we came home with a new dog! From the picture online, I thought Shaggy Chunko was going to be bit bigger and more athletic... <i>but no.</i> He is actually shorter than Snoopy (whose new nickname is Silky Svelte-o), and built like a little tank, and is extremely UNathletic! ha ha. When he "runs" his whole body weeble-wobbles around. Mr. VE&T pretty much took one look at this silly little guy and fell in love. </div>
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We've learned some things about Shaggy Chunko:</b></div>
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- he is EXTREMELY snuggly and is particularly obsessed with me.</div>
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- he is 10 years old, not 7 years old</div>
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- he really hadn't been walked at all and was very overweight and totally out of shape</div>
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- he's really smart, but totally untrained</div>
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- we are at least his fourth home in his life... he came from the central valley, where he had already been adopted once, then was brought to the shelter here, where he was adopted from the people before us</div>
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- he had to have a big dental surgery and get 3 teeth out and 2 root canals. Poor guy - but he is a lot happier now</div>
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- we also learned that he had been de-barked (so barbaric!) somewhere along the line, and that he has scarring in his airway. This may require follow-up at some point. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2tKNOpK2e9eEH56bGWlaDN-stFEIZl1Orhi966uy6RHHWhws_DbdAS874s-EGv5u-DI45iAulLNvYrKpWTtfnot8xwLsRGDxLsLiEvjfmVfXKIZm4AOaVKrc4aq7ONqWhYeV3g/s632/Shaggy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="632" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2tKNOpK2e9eEH56bGWlaDN-stFEIZl1Orhi966uy6RHHWhws_DbdAS874s-EGv5u-DI45iAulLNvYrKpWTtfnot8xwLsRGDxLsLiEvjfmVfXKIZm4AOaVKrc4aq7ONqWhYeV3g/w400-h280/Shaggy2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">he is shaped like a cylindrical little pig, but has a pointy little snout.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately our little Mr. Chunko recently injured his knee on a very low-intensity dog walk, and it isn't getting better quickly. We're still waiting to find out if he needs surgery. Oh dear. We were hoping for a break from high-maintenance pet ownership after shepherding Stevie and Dottie through their end-of-life experiences. But, of course, Mr. Chunks will get whatever he needs. Most of all we want him to be healthy and happy as soon as possible. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>
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Straight up Chillin'</b></div>
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Shaggy Chunko is dozing on my lap as I type up this post. He is SUCH a sweet little being. Gentle and pensive... but with a dose of terrier SPUNK that is still emerging. I think the situation he came from before us was not ideal, and after about 2 months with us, he is still unwinding into this new environment. After having all our other pets for SO many years and knowing them each so deeply and intimately, Shaggy Chunko still feels like someone we are getting to know. I can't wait!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmHTa1LXi-JsaEW4W0ndj-FE-EugT1wfZ1mOuTdTg-S-sQC1_gXIFt1V418UFLjzI7mwB7fvKg1PRoLIrG3Np2s6_21HL28HhITepRu-VOnZ8n69KLl2PxnL_yDK-At9Buz0RYw/s474/Shaggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmHTa1LXi-JsaEW4W0ndj-FE-EugT1wfZ1mOuTdTg-S-sQC1_gXIFt1V418UFLjzI7mwB7fvKg1PRoLIrG3Np2s6_21HL28HhITepRu-VOnZ8n69KLl2PxnL_yDK-At9Buz0RYw/s320/Shaggy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-73935765428864065082020-04-27T17:11:00.000-07:002020-04-27T17:11:20.849-07:00Vegan Shoe Review: Jambu Caymen Sandals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvByoS8HOeHkP7m6VNm5n-f85h8vs5CiI8OwI3QEhmreSOY7vRPl-w-LvHEuNfYwWnnPqoRXS4CGnFhr91ttVpoc3U-yYe9q34SWtoJWF4ysJjt-tXL2WBnpXAk1er6mfsecWzvg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvByoS8HOeHkP7m6VNm5n-f85h8vs5CiI8OwI3QEhmreSOY7vRPl-w-LvHEuNfYwWnnPqoRXS4CGnFhr91ttVpoc3U-yYe9q34SWtoJWF4ysJjt-tXL2WBnpXAk1er6mfsecWzvg/s640/image.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b>Hello Friends!</b></div>
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Gentle Readers, I had big plans for monthly posts full of good stuff - food and fun and adventures... and then You Know What happened. Right after my last post, I received a lovely pair of spring sandals from <b><a href="https://jambu.com/?utm_source=Vegan%20Eats%20and%20Treats&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=spring2020">Jambu</a> Footwear</b> to review and share on my blog. We were planning our annual trip down to Palm Springs to watch the tennis... and I thought - "I will save them and get some cute pictures in the desert with my sandals on!" But then the tournament got cancelled, and our trip got cancelled, and life was turned upside down. Honestly, it just didn't feel right to write about shoes. </div>
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But we are all adapting and life goes on and yesterday was Mr. VE&T's birthday. So, I decided to put on my cute jumper and my cute blue <a href="https://jambu.com/caymen/?utm_source=Vegan%20Eats%20and%20Treats&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=spring2020"><b>Caymen Sandals</b> </a>and have a day of it! Two of our friends came over and we had a long-distance "stay apart" (opposite of a "get together"). We sat far apart in the driveway and had Aperol Spritzes in carefully-sanitized glasses. It was SO fun to be together and feel safe, to see their faces, to laugh and connect. Instead of pictures of me feeling stylish in Palm Springs, you get pictures of me feeling stylish in the driveway. Ha ha. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-V4U821M1nJXdyYEB2Ht6Oy6BNd6G_R75h2AhupOiT11RfVzI_qFKqzgANq8yo2pJGCIFoPykQVd1WEKATUaTjlKrmSYEMbUY3rIhftxHxAoIrEJb9XP_9U9ev2WIGEg_IVD0w/s1600/caymen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-V4U821M1nJXdyYEB2Ht6Oy6BNd6G_R75h2AhupOiT11RfVzI_qFKqzgANq8yo2pJGCIFoPykQVd1WEKATUaTjlKrmSYEMbUY3rIhftxHxAoIrEJb9XP_9U9ev2WIGEg_IVD0w/s640/caymen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Caymen Sandals, in Indigo</b></div>
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Jambu has a lot of cute spring <b><a href="https://jambu.com/women/feature/vegan/?utm_source=Vegan%20Eats%20and%20Treats&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=spring2020">vegan shoes for women</a></b> this year, but I chose the Caymen Sandals to review because I didn't have any shoes like this in my life! They have an ankle strap, but actually it's a really an easy velcro that just <i>looks like</i> a buckle. I'm definitely a fan of easy on-off. I also I really like the coir styling around the base of the shoe... so summery and reminiscent of espadrilles. They come in indigo (blue), blush (a pale pink/ivory), and black. I ordered size 9 and found them to be true to size. </div>
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They have a memory foam sole that is smooshy and comfy, but they aren't designed with massive arch support in mind. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOV1pYgp-KQFZ85Z35bzpXaCCt1hooNd5lN2rgsH_nEa1bGFp4QjUHwbMHxGTh6woJlkBeYHhffpnIrmmIS238pljj0u9fbL2TyuP5dJE2yZj56AdJA3JQgKa1No6Iwkbs__0NQ/s1600/IMG_20200426_184511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOV1pYgp-KQFZ85Z35bzpXaCCt1hooNd5lN2rgsH_nEa1bGFp4QjUHwbMHxGTh6woJlkBeYHhffpnIrmmIS238pljj0u9fbL2TyuP5dJE2yZj56AdJA3JQgKa1No6Iwkbs__0NQ/s640/IMG_20200426_184511.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Our Front Yard... can you see Footie in the Window? </div>
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I'm definitely looking forward to wearing these sandals all summer long. <span style="text-align: center;">These are fashion, fun, kickin' around and feelin'-styley shoes... not hiking sandals! That's actually what I really love about them. So many </span>of the sandals I have are extremely functional and not extremely cute. They're great for long walks or day hikes... but feel too clunky when I want to wear a skirt or just feel a little less sporty. These Caymen sandals feel simple and feminine and will go great with skirts and summery dresses - even if Mr. VE&T and Footie are the only ones who see me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmZTRkOE13H_6jhx64nLXxcFpBVmGzPHNs_wkwzY3HNhx6MEihqAgSnU3-z8sQFqZF9-PKLVw7Y421jhz64APG2-ZtEuaxQZnztgsypJoy5Y9TlslCVpixD9RZMDJZ9Fdgz04ww/s1600/IMG_20200426_184318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmZTRkOE13H_6jhx64nLXxcFpBVmGzPHNs_wkwzY3HNhx6MEihqAgSnU3-z8sQFqZF9-PKLVw7Y421jhz64APG2-ZtEuaxQZnztgsypJoy5Y9TlslCVpixD9RZMDJZ9Fdgz04ww/s400/IMG_20200426_184318.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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After our friends took off, I went to check on my veggie garden. Mr VE&T got this cute picture when one of our neighbors called out and said hello. I'm grateful for these little interactions! It was fun to go my garden chores in my pretty sandals - added a little emotional perk. Maybe I should dress up a little more often during all this shelter in place! (except that my cute jumpsuit was quickly covered in white footie furs after he cuddled with me --> less fancy. ha ha) </div>
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<span style="color: purple;">COUPON CODE! </span></div>
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Just for a couple more days!</div>
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Maybe you need some summer sandals to spice up your driveway time this summer? </div>
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Use the coupon code <b><span style="color: purple;">VEGANEATS</span></b> to get <b>20% off any shoes at Jambu.com</b> - good through <b>Thursday April 30th.</b> Just a reminder that Jambu has lots of cute vegan shoes and <a href="https://jambu.com/women/category/sandals/?utm_source=Vegan%20Eats%20and%20Treats&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=spring2020">vegan sandals</a>, but not all their shoes are vegan. So many sure you're in the vegan section of the site before you start shopping! </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-72622170802256444212020-02-29T15:48:00.003-08:002020-02-29T15:48:50.642-08:00Stevie Wonder: A Very Good Dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">STEVIE WONDER </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">World's Best Dog</span></b></div>
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This week we said goodbye to one of our most special friends, Miss Stevie Wonder. We had Stevie in our lives for 15 years... almost to the day. She was about 16 years old and died of the effects of cancer and old age. </div>
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It's hard to put into words just how wonderful and special our Stevie was... She was a gentle and pensive spirit, she thrived on connection, and was a true friend. </div>
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Most of all, Stevie was PERFECT. She was a perfect spirit. She had perfect little button ears, perfect black paws, a perfectly shaped dome head, perfect and sturdy little legs, perfect athletic agility, a perfect hairless little "pig belly," a beautiful and elegant perfect tail, perfect brown eyes, her perfect feathery Farrah Fawcett hair, perfect lady-like proportions, and a perfect heart full of all the complexities of a living being - love, fear, oddities, confidence, and mystery. Somehow, she was a surprisingly complex being, and knowing her felt rich and layered and meaningful. </div>
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There is a yoga teaching that says "You're perfect the way you are. And also there is always work to be done." Whenever I would hear this teaching I would think "I am obviously not perfect, this doesn't apply to me." But when I really learned to love Stevie, I saw that she WAS perfect - even if she growled at other dogs and was an absolute weirdo... maybe even BECAUSE she of those things? It helped me think about myself and my quirks/"flaws" in a new way.</div>
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Stevie preferred quiet little pets, "tiny pets" as we called them: cheek scritches, ear rubs, and especially tiny armpit rubs. Her little armpits didn't have any hair, and she loved to roll over on her back and lift up her arm "PET MY PITS." You couldn't be rough or sudden with her, so she taught us to find a quiet place in ourselves. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgt2-qdurADxa3tzWbt5Jc-QoEVKSlfqf_D0yD7VoYb0CFz9PC6z_qpuKtN5xug-nmtreKcFffYT6C44ESPfl6dJENHbSVKi86f3DiGyVxJjr5DfN0j0-vSQyMQDRsADBoluTEA/s1600/stevie+1st+night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1157" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgt2-qdurADxa3tzWbt5Jc-QoEVKSlfqf_D0yD7VoYb0CFz9PC6z_qpuKtN5xug-nmtreKcFffYT6C44ESPfl6dJENHbSVKi86f3DiGyVxJjr5DfN0j0-vSQyMQDRsADBoluTEA/s400/stevie+1st+night.jpg" width="385" /></a></div>
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The very first night we brought Stevie home. </div>
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Her eye was shaved because of a small surgery she had on her eyelid.</div>
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We adopted our Stevie from the ARF group in Walnut Creek. We drove up that day, determined to come home with a dog, ANY DOG, but we had no idea just how lucky we were.</div>
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The Stevie we met was extremely fearful. She was panting a lot, but mostly it was because she was anxious and unsure. She was afraid of the car, afraid of leashes, afraid of lots of men, afraid of people with hats, afraid of being hit...</div>
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But over the months and years, Stevie grew into herself. She became the quiet and undisputed alphadog of our pack. She knew what she liked, and what she didn't like and she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. She didn't particularly like other dogs, and was sure to let them know immediately, with a sharp growl and snarl of the teeth. Ha ha. We were always having to apologize to other dog owners "Sorry! It doesn't get any worse than that! Shes's just a grump!"</div>
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Young Stevie</div>
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- Stevie's fuzzy, reddish puppy undercoat. She looked so different back then. I think she must have been 11-12 months old when we got her.</div>
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- When we adopted Dottie, Dottie showed Stevie how to shred up stuffed toys. Before that, Stevie didn't really understand how to be a rowdy young pup. But, she embraced this new idea with great joy, and there was a long phase wherein we lived with polyester stuffing all over the house. Ha ha.</div>
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- Can you see Stevie's beautiful perfect tongue, and the two black half-moon shapes on her tongue? She used to love to run and run and run and run and run and run and then lie down in the cool grass and unfurl her huge tongue to catch her breath. She looks so happy in this picture. </div>
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Stevie at the Beach</div>
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Stevie was such an agile and elegant athlete. She was a creature of the natural world and nothing brought her more to life than her off-leash time in nature. Around the house, she would sometimes just look sorta glum and mopey... like an existentialist contemplating the meaninglessness of it all... But as soon as she hit the trail, or the beach, or the forest - her whole spirit would transform. She would run and chase and dig and sniff and wade and explore with confidence and vitality. It was so beautiful. </div>
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Our Stevie always loved to be reassured that she was very good and very loved... she kinda had low self-esteem. She LOVED her own name, she loved being told what a good girl she was, she loved rousing affirmative good-girl snuggles, and even when she went deaf, we had a special hand sign for "Good Girl" - which made her wag her tail EVERY TIME until the day she died. We called this "puffing her up." Sometimes, on a walk, she'd check in for a sec, just to get "puffed up" and we'd razzle her fur and douse her in lots of praise and she'd start to rev up and get all overjoyed and then she'd run off again - all puffed up and recharged for more fun. </div>
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"Go Swimming!"</div>
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Stevie loved a good wading session... not much a fan of the full-body swim, she loved to get her naked tummy and her naked armpits wet, just enough to cool down. On our many, many, many walks through the forest, we would reach a spot with good access to the creek and say "Gooooooo Swimming!" and she and Dottie would tear down the hillside and into the water. Dottie usually just gingerly stood there and drank and little water, but Stevie would leap in and have a soak.</div>
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It makes me so happy to remember the joy and energy she experienced on these walks. Of all the wonderful adventures and walks we shared every day for 15 years, the forest was her absolute favorite. </div>
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A Head-Out-The-Window Dog</div>
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Stevie always loved to feel the breeze in her hair. She never enjoyed long drives, but she LOVED a short drive to the park or the woods... her head would pop out the window almost immediately. It was so fun to sit in the passenger seat, look in the side mirror, and see her contented little face, squinting into the air. </div>
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She valued calm and peace and safety, and was a natural protector. She almost always slept by the front door, by the back gate, by the door to my yoga room - taking her self-appointed job as our guardian very seriously. One time the FedEx man came in our back gate with a package (WTF?!), and I heard all this barking... I went to the backyard, only to find little 28-pound Stevie had him pinned up against the gate with terror. I apologized to him, but afterwards I praised her effusively. </div>
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All that said, although she preferred calm, she was also a joyful part of the absolute chaos whenever someone rang the doorbell ( FREAK OUT!), when we left for a walk, when we were doing tricks and training time, or when all the dogs would start to howl and sing together. I love about her that she had a distinct comfort zone, but also found ways to enjoy an emotional range outside of that. </div>
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She loved learning tricks, loved treats, loved being praised, and was easy to train. When we first got her, we had a really exceptional trainer, whom Stevie immediately loved. We learned so many good tricks from that trainer, which held us in good stead for all those years. Doing tricks together always made Stevie so happy - she loved the attention, and she loved the routine of it all. Her favorite tricks were probably good ol "sit, down, shake"... but she was a very cute and proficient high-fiver too. </div>
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More than anything, Stevie was a sweet and loving being. To be loved by her felt like an achievement - like you had been awarded a valued status. She was wary, until she loved you, and then she was a loyal and lifelong friend. She remembered people she loved, even if she had not seen them for a very long time. She was deep like a river, and it felt good to shower her in love. She just soaked it up. She loved being in bed with the whole pack... in the mornings she loved to sleep in all the way until breakfast time, and she loved a soft pillow under her beautiful head. </div>
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Life will be different for us without this special beauty, but boy do we feel lucky that we accidentally brought home a dog who turned out to be such a marvelous and special friend. Onward, sweet perfect Stevie Weevie... </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-59942318349548674202020-02-15T15:48:00.000-08:002020-02-15T15:48:28.300-08:00January Round-Up: Simple Home Cookin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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January was a quiet month around here, which was really wonderful. I started the month with a big and special teaching commitment... and then I had a relatively light load for the rest of the month. It was so nice after all the hub-bub of the holidays, and especially after Dottie's sudden death, to finally have a chance to lay low, cook lots of healthy meals, and watch some extra Netflix. Y'know. </div>
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POWER PLATES</div>
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Lately, my very favorite cookbook is <b>Power Plates</b>, by Gena Hamshaw </div>
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I have been cooking from it so often, and we've had so many great meals from it. All her recipes are balanced, nutritious, and well-seasoned... satisfying both emotionally and physically. They almost all have protein, veggies, grains, greens... all the good stuff you want in a perfect meal. I already have a long list of favorites, but I've been challenging myself to make more recipes that I haven't tried yet.</div>
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Here are a few we tried recently:</div>
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Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lentils</div>
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Tofu Migas (with greens on the side)</div>
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Stuffed Bell Peppers</div>
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That <b>Roasted Cauliflower Salad</b> sounds like the kind of thing where you'd be hungry 20 minutes later, but with the lentils and the dressing, it's heartier than you'd think. I had a huge cauliflower, so I doubled the dressing - No Regerts! </div>
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Also the <b>Stuffed Peppers</b> were great! I have another recipe from Vegan Diner that I usually use, but I loved this variation. Even Mr. VE&T who doesn't like tempeh (sad face) really loved these. They were easy to make, packed with nutrition, and then we had them for dinner two nights in a row, plus a couple lunches. Yes! </div>
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<b>Roasted Veggies with Spiced Tahini Sauce with Yogurt and Sumac</b></div>
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from Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin</div>
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<b>Whole Food Cooking Every Day</b> by Amy Chaplin is the other book I've been loving and using a lot lately. It was an xmas gift from Mr VE&T and it's full of innovative ideas, interesting flavor combinations, and daring spices. It's not 100% vegan, but mostly vegan, and it's just so fun to have a book that feels really creative and new to me. It's not the easiest book for beginners, but is a really fun book for a confident and creative home cook. I really love having a recipe to follow and just being "told what to do," and this book challenges me a bit by giving me direction (like a great sauce recipe, and some ideas - but not specific recipes - on how to use it). </div>
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We've had several great meals from this book and I look forward to using it more!</div>
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<b>Fruit Tree Care!</b></div>
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One of the great xmas prezzies that I got from my auntie this year was the gift of her knowledgable time to help me take care of our fruit trees! First we spent a long time pruning our beloved apple tree (a big project) and then we moved on to my insanely overgrown lime tree. My aunt is a properly skilled and educated gardener (I am not!) so her help really means a lot to me. We pruned the lime tree WAY back and collected SO MANY LIMES in the process. I gave two huge boxes of limes to one of my students who owns a restaurant, and brought some to my trainer, and brought the last box to my class. Plus, the tree is still full of more limes! </div>
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While we were at it, we did some nice gentle pruning on the orange trees and I picked lot of oranges. We've been having fresh OJ with breakfast, and have lots more oranges that are still ripening on the trees. </div>
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I love my fruit trees so much and I appreciate all the deliciousness they share with us, so it felt really good to give them some TLC.</div>
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<b>lovin' up the cozy crew</b></div>
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And of course there's been lots of love and cuddles and quiet times with our sweet little fur gang! </div>
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As you would expect! </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-58258049971058640252020-01-20T17:24:00.000-08:002020-01-20T17:24:43.763-08:00December Round-Up! Vegan Wedding, Holidays, Cookies! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Hello Beloved Blog Readers!</b> Last month was quite a time... so much happened, joys and sorrows... and also lots of delicious vegan food. I kept thinking "I should blog about this!" - but then I would either be too busy or too tired. So, in keeping with the eternal school of "better late than never," I present you with a proper account of many delicious events from last month!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">A Vegan Wedding! </span></b></div>
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December started with lots of joyful hustle and bustle as one of my very favorite besties got married! It was a perfect wedding - filled with love and joy. And also nothing but amazing vegan food. For appetizers they had great bread from a local bakery, gluten-free crackers, and a big vegan cheese plate (top left). The dinner was absolutely great - something I would love to eat every night if I could! - green salad with special goodies, seared broccolini, PERFECT roasted baby potatoes, a white bean dish, ratatouille, and more delicious bread (lower left). It was so fun to be at a wedding and to have a full plate full of delicious and nourishing food! We all know, that doesn't happen often. </div>
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One of my friend's and my favorite things to do together is go to the farmers market, so for their wedding gift I painted them a big serving platter with some of their very favorite produce goodies, along with real samples of their favorites. Her faves are parsnips and delicata squash. His are artichokes and pomegrantes. It was a fun project!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Dessert!</span></b></div>
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OH YEAH. A vegan wedding with vegan desserts? I am here for that! The groom's sister made a VERY delicious chocolate cake with cherry compote. Oh man it was good. And my friend herself also made many batches of two different excellent gluten-free cookies. Of course I had cookies AND cake because I am no dummy. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Our Beloved Dottie Bonkers</span></b></div>
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The hardest part of December, without a doubt, was the sudden and totally unexpected loss of our sweet and wild Dottie Bonkers. She died the same day as the wedding, which definitely made for quite an emotionally intense weekend. Dottie was a truly vivacious spirit - so full of inquiry and curiosity and relentless levels of energy. She was ALWAYS up for just about anything. If you were gonna get up and walk into the other room, she was right there with you. If you called her name, her head would swivel around at a hundred miles an hour - with her giant ears radio-dialed for total attention. She didn't ever want to miss ANYTHING. She kept a vigilant eye on everyone's activity and especially loved to police all feline antics. Whenever we would get out Footie's toys to start playing kitty games, Dottie would jump up and run to Footie's play zone, and start whimpering with overwhelming enthusiasm and excitement. She was slightly aloof, and didn't love snuggles, but was also wildly jealous if you tried to snuggle anyone else. Most of all, she loved attention - she could learn any trick in 15 minutes and loved to learn and do tricks and play, and make eye contact and know that she was doing just what she was supposed to do. That said, the second you turned away, she was also very skilled at being naughty - and was especially good at taking entire loaves of bread off the counter top. She had a docked tail that we called "Stumpy" and she could wiggle that little stump like nothing else - she was exuberant and goofy and earnest. Our house is so different, and so quiet without her and our hearts have been heavy. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">cooking up xmas gifts</span></b></div>
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I kinda threw myself into xmas this year - I always like the holiday season but this year I think it was an especially welcome distraction from grieving for Dottie. I try to focus on giving homemade gifts and this year I made lots of things:</div>
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<b>Fruitcakes</b></div>
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<b>Dried Persimmons</b></div>
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Prune and Armagnac Truffles</div>
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Lime Marmalade</div>
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Biscotti for my dad</div>
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and 3 kinds of<b> Homemade Hot Sauces</b> for my brother! </div>
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It definitely kept me busy in the kitchen, and it felt so good to settle into the quiet joys of culinary projects. Especially with my sad heart, it was so nice to follow the instructions, slice the persimmons, roll the truffles... tangible tasks with a beginning and an end. </div>
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Also, my mom gave me those very sweet little utensils in the top left - they were <b>my dad's baby spoon and baby fork!! </b>Isn't that extremely special? They even have his little monogram on them. My dad was raised in a middle class home, but apparently he did have a silver spoon! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>COOKIES</b></span></div>
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You all already know that I love cookies. Every year I pick one week of December and I made cookies for each of my yoga classes. I made a different kind of cookie for each day of the week, so that if people came multiple times, they could have some variety! And I also bring gluten-free options so that no one needs to leave without a cookie. </div>
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I also made a big batch of my favorite gingerbread cookies for some special friend dates. I always use the "<b>Lower Fat Gingerbread Men</b>" from the <i>Joy of Cooking</i>. It's SUCH a delicious recipe and really easy to veganize. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Friend Date!</span></b></div>
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My long-time BFF and I have a history of doing fun holiday crafts and antics with her daughter and this year they were going to be travelling for the holidays. SO! I headed over (on a school night!) and we had a great night of xmas crafting, a delicious vegan dinner (my pal made the <b>Tofu, Beans and Rice</b> from <b>Power Plates</b> by Gena Hamshaw - it was a delicious and hearty dinner!), and then after dinner we decorated cookies together. It was such a sweet night with people I love. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Xmas Dinner! </b></span></div>
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This year our family decided to do<b> Italian Christmas </b>again... in our own little way. My mom made some beautiful and delicious antipasti platters - full of <b>marinated and roasted veggies</b>. She also made a big bowl of her signature <b>hummus</b>. ha ha. I know it is definitely not Italian, but I guess we are Californians who are addicted to hummus and we were all on board with hummus. Ha ha ha. My mom also made a huge green salad, and you may not know this, but my mom makes<b> THE BEST SALAD.</b> I love her salad so much. I ate a lot of it!! </div>
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My sister in law made a non-vegan lasagna, and I made<b> two vegan lasagnas! </b>The littler one is salt-free and oil-free, for my aunt and her partner. We had a fun afternoon, because my aunt came over and helped me in the kitchen we made the lasagnas together, which felt special and festive. </div>
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This year's holiday was extra special because we had several beloved family members in town who haven't been here for the holidays for many years. It felt so good and sweet to all be together. Back in the day, when my grandparents were still alive, we used to have big holiday dinners almost every year, and this year felt like that and I appreciated it a lot. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Christmas cookies!</span></b></div>
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For Italian Christmas, I made <b>cuccidati</b>, for only the second time ever. Holy MAJOLEY these cookies are SO amazing. I use a recipe that my Italian friend Sara sent me, and the recipe call for baking ammonia. Have you ever baked with ammonia? It certainly smells terrible in the batter, but when you cook them, the ammonia evaporates and leaves a very light and flaky crust. I use two different fillings - one has chocolate and the other doesn't - but both are variations of dried fruits and dates and nuts and warming spices all blended together, and these cookies are MAGIC. I need to tidy up my recipe and put it all into English and put it up on the blog - for myself and for all of you! </div>
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For Christmas Day dinner, my sister in law asked if I would make some <b>chocolate chip cookies</b>. Why, yes, I'd be happy to! Her mom was in town for the holidays and her mom happens to love my vegan chocolate chip cookies. What an honor! I use <a href="https://vedgedout.com/2015/03/26/the-best-vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies/">Somer's recipe </a> which is sheer perfection. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Lisa's Birthday! </span></b></div>
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My cousin Lisa, and her husband, and their little boy were here for the holidays this year, which was REALLY great... and - bonus! - Lisa's birthday is just a few days after xmas, so we also got to celebrate her birthday together for the first time in eons. Lisa and I consulted about all sorts of cake flavor options... and finally she settled on a Lemon Cake. I love lemon cake too, so I was excited. </div>
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The day before, I made a lemon cake and I could tell it just hadn't worked. The layers were dense and heavy and hadn't risen at all. I actually just threw it away. Damn! SO, I busted out a SECOND lemon cake - this time I used a recipe for a bundt cake - but when it came out, it started to sink and collapse a little. It looked okay, but not good enough for a special birthday cake. * SO I MADE A THIRD CAKE. ha ha ha. It's funny now, but I was actually pretty annoyed. I was busting out before rushing off to teach yoga and even had to rely on Mr. VE&T to take the cakes out of the oven at the right time (he did!) Thank goodness I tried again, because this third attempt was absolutely amazing. I used "<b><a href="https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-lemon-cake/">The Best Lemon Cake</a></b>" from Lovin it Vegan, and it was absolutely fantastic and now I officially have a preferred lemon cake recipe. 100% I recommend. Will make again!! </div>
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* Happy news on cake #2, I was able to give it to a vegan friend who shared it with her class, where it was appreciated and didn't go to waste. Phew! </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Furbies!</span></b></div>
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Our remaining fur crew are doing pretty well. <b>Stevie</b> and Dottie never got along... so funny enough, Stevie has been enjoying her absence. She's soaking up the extra attention we've been giving her. She's so old now, and she has cancer, so she appreciates the new sense of quiet and calm. </div>
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<b>Snoopy</b> really misses his friend Dottie... she was his fearless leader and he was her loyal follower. Since she died, he's been extra clingy and cuddly and a little weird. He needs so much snuggling and reassuring.</div>
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<b>Footie</b> is more on Stevie's team. He doesn't seem to miss Dottie at all. He's free to tear around the house at top speed, attack his peacock feathers with abandon, and jump up on the counter (illegal!) without Dottie narcing him out. ha ha Footie is just such a snuggle bug and I'm so grateful for his relatively youthful vigor in this house full of senior citizens!<br />
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-40823256526485235912019-11-20T08:57:00.002-08:002019-11-20T08:57:15.245-08:00Vegan Shoe Review: JBU Nina Boots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Vegan Shoe Review!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTThqFMZVer5oZrzuxm-rh7PH9a5nalAeazFAHahWZeQNS31Vof2wkezsyOQ35F5LpX57rVKhpfpKIMmL3mda0YnuA1_3rgwinJsoUZkXOhPYWH03zeIjYS-WdtRBMIY91owQ4XA/s1600/jbu+nina+jambu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="466" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTThqFMZVer5oZrzuxm-rh7PH9a5nalAeazFAHahWZeQNS31Vof2wkezsyOQ35F5LpX57rVKhpfpKIMmL3mda0YnuA1_3rgwinJsoUZkXOhPYWH03zeIjYS-WdtRBMIY91owQ4XA/s320/jbu+nina+jambu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hello buddies! As you may know, I am a brand ambassador for Jambu's vegan line of shoes. I have been a fan of their vegan shoes for years, and I love spreading the word about all the cute <b><a href="https://jambu.com/women/feature/vegan/?utm_source=VEGANEATSANDTREATS&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=Fall2019">vegan shoes for women</a></b> that they make - everything from boots to winter shoes to sandals and sneakers. This fall, I'll be reviewing two new styles. I also have a coupon code to share so that you can save 20% off any purchase at <a href="https://jambu.com/?utm_source=VEGANEATSANDTREATS&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=Fall2019">Jambu.com</a> (good only until <b>November 25th</b>, so get busy!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRee8zYIXuF1FhsK2c1SHe2mHgQbK9qInOhBAd_ncSvhtRdUUiQqnCmqrLtKrwh83et5HhrEah_2eV1XnIgMS0nekmTLOVLvliJ4mdBhLMuy3JDCDt2NYEkWdnjh_OdHQ5_j3gw/s1600/Nina+JBU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1317" data-original-width="1600" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRee8zYIXuF1FhsK2c1SHe2mHgQbK9qInOhBAd_ncSvhtRdUUiQqnCmqrLtKrwh83et5HhrEah_2eV1XnIgMS0nekmTLOVLvliJ4mdBhLMuy3JDCDt2NYEkWdnjh_OdHQ5_j3gw/s640/Nina+JBU.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://jambu.com/nina/?utm_source=VEGANEATSANDTREATS&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=Fall2019">Nina </a>Boots</span></b></div>
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I love these stylish little low-cut boots! As you can see, they have a zip on the inner ankle, so they're easy to slip into. I like the loopy stitching and the nod to cowboy boot styling - without being overly "cowboy boots." </div>
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They come in two colors - black (the color I chose) and brown. As you can see the black is more like a dark grey, which I actually prefer. They come in sizes from 6-11. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvXRho_RF0C_mBw7yCcgB0xmzMaSWJ9Pwhp5GpnWqTnAwU4LMgLKLBidlLS72uvOeugnSZ87P1yZ1FpeeE3FpnJdZuKThzdu75dfa8p5fTD_wFTOy4tEOr4ohDXWTr4m7s0WCQw/s1600/Nina+JBU+Fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1199" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvXRho_RF0C_mBw7yCcgB0xmzMaSWJ9Pwhp5GpnWqTnAwU4LMgLKLBidlLS72uvOeugnSZ87P1yZ1FpeeE3FpnJdZuKThzdu75dfa8p5fTD_wFTOy4tEOr4ohDXWTr4m7s0WCQw/s640/Nina+JBU+Fence.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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at the park</div>
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Mr Vegan Eats & Treats snapped this picture of me in my Ninas - feeling very at ease! These shoes are a little bit on the narrow side, but the more I've worn them, they've responded to the shape of my feet. I have pretty wide feet, so probably a lot of you wouldn't even notice this. I'm also a size 9, and a lot of shoes really just don't look all that cute after size 7.5... but these boots are SUPER flattering and make my feet look charmingly dainty! Sign me up! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdATIORZTtFAbqaaRrWP2zYDtAXbcCBLNOHnOX6KSERDWwO-exE_LHMYtdw6L3K4ilgbqnhVPLH_JI6wnWkiGFSb1pKGE4UP2fa-iilK8iuECyr3FxzVcGPm0lYo2cql51DOb1w/s1600/Nina+JBU+Dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdATIORZTtFAbqaaRrWP2zYDtAXbcCBLNOHnOX6KSERDWwO-exE_LHMYtdw6L3K4ilgbqnhVPLH_JI6wnWkiGFSb1pKGE4UP2fa-iilK8iuECyr3FxzVcGPm0lYo2cql51DOb1w/s640/Nina+JBU+Dogs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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with the antsy pupperses!</div>
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I thought it would be cute to snap selfies with each of the pups - but as you can see, they urgently wanted to return to the critical business of sniffing and lollygagging around the park. Also, it started raining - which was unexpected! - but my feet stayed cozy and happy in my boots. The <a href="https://jambu.com/nina/?utm_source=VEGANEATSANDTREATS&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=Fall2019">Nina Boots </a>have memory foam insoles, which makes them so cooshy and comfy to walk in. They're a really perfect autumn boot: comfy enough for bopping around town, and classy enough for going to work, looking chic, and feeling stylish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzrtM9WyhX7V8eMefaQ85SMvEIxDlEH9wZ5-7AXZzIxg1qq7mm6MmZ8Jwkn_OnjFGFwkiFXfiy8-hOzVMpWdeB7Mtu7iS1y3-g5DVxeJqW7Yxo4JSAijQhsFWPHZBYIPahS9SHA/s1600/Nina+JBU+Snoopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1199" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzrtM9WyhX7V8eMefaQ85SMvEIxDlEH9wZ5-7AXZzIxg1qq7mm6MmZ8Jwkn_OnjFGFwkiFXfiy8-hOzVMpWdeB7Mtu7iS1y3-g5DVxeJqW7Yxo4JSAijQhsFWPHZBYIPahS9SHA/s640/Nina+JBU+Snoopy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Pointy little boot toes, autumn leaves, and a silky doggo.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">COUPON CODE!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3l8vxcIpcHIT6XaQzh_BD6Y24l14bTlCLRg6aWWP1Axln0UAu0xlkf6MAdxUxHzIQvmzs3Y5yxxT7E4MbfRkP3bD-6LkaNpgpi2PO3fBwGf_xmZciGBR5sfeTxXyRHJ28Wp8uDg/s1600/jbu+nina+jambu+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="662" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3l8vxcIpcHIT6XaQzh_BD6Y24l14bTlCLRg6aWWP1Axln0UAu0xlkf6MAdxUxHzIQvmzs3Y5yxxT7E4MbfRkP3bD-6LkaNpgpi2PO3fBwGf_xmZciGBR5sfeTxXyRHJ28Wp8uDg/s400/jbu+nina+jambu+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Use the coupon code <b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">VEGANTREATS19</span></b> to save <span style="color: purple;"><b>20% of any purchase at <a href="https://jambu.com/?utm_source=VEGANEATSANDTREATS&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=Fall2019">Jambu.com</a></b></span> ! This coupon is good until <b>November 25th</b>, so get shopping! Remember, not all their shoes are vegan, so make sure you're shopping in their <b><a href="https://jambu.com/women/feature/vegan/?utm_source=VEGANEATSANDTREATS&utm_medium=http%3A%2F%2Fveganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com%2F&utm_campaign=Fall2019">vegan shoes</a></b> selection. Let me know if you get something!<br />
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-63092084764316445882019-10-30T17:11:00.003-07:002019-10-30T17:11:57.735-07:00Chai Spice Marzipan Pumpkins! Recipe! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfJ_h-5tdQa6kPqmke88z2BxbRh2gRcoH1fYDZkGK5QLIkgSZWiWe0hI0Vbz5HrXeFrXlcfgIepEgLahH4oFUMakp_zHZrPGu9_3Cdpgx4C3vTx0CGHKGpZxe7jq4Xm4N5rVAig/s1600/halloween+stevie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="439" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfJ_h-5tdQa6kPqmke88z2BxbRh2gRcoH1fYDZkGK5QLIkgSZWiWe0hI0Vbz5HrXeFrXlcfgIepEgLahH4oFUMakp_zHZrPGu9_3Cdpgx4C3vTx0CGHKGpZxe7jq4Xm4N5rVAig/s320/halloween+stevie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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our little Angel Stevie Wonder</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl72S369m1IX8Wl6x19_g_bN8-3v4C7t5WtuAWFco8MJ3gDTqle-0EM1T985YRwNngVM3LPneJTNti5x2bcDo2rPqQo95O9mFgTdzcYYF0ruAxcq4GSNhzVoRlLO1magpETyt0gg/s1600/00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20191030154948362_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl72S369m1IX8Wl6x19_g_bN8-3v4C7t5WtuAWFco8MJ3gDTqle-0EM1T985YRwNngVM3LPneJTNti5x2bcDo2rPqQo95O9mFgTdzcYYF0ruAxcq4GSNhzVoRlLO1magpETyt0gg/s640/00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20191030154948362_COVER.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: x-large;"><b>Happy Halloween!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiqh8432bthYyKFIJfzKgguKa1rU5e2eiMmIk5uGyD3MU5P-g87UvKRjMl1CwrumtrlGOiKRFzZ_aG3tGOrWE46SKfLr6Z-DCifZ2QRXT0Yicwub5JLyZGMGofrdSExgDGs4w3Q/s1600/halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="566" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiqh8432bthYyKFIJfzKgguKa1rU5e2eiMmIk5uGyD3MU5P-g87UvKRjMl1CwrumtrlGOiKRFzZ_aG3tGOrWE46SKfLr6Z-DCifZ2QRXT0Yicwub5JLyZGMGofrdSExgDGs4w3Q/s400/halloween.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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Yesterday, while I was in yoga class and should have been contemplating the union between consciousness and the material form, instead I was dreaming up a great idea: Chai Spice Marzipan Pumpkins!! </div>
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I based this recipe on the little marzipan "Tut" or "Mulberries" that I make every year for Persian New Year (original recipe from My Persian Kitchen). They're easy and delicious, and perfect little bite-sized morsels. The Tut have almonds and sugar and rosewater in them, and they are magical. So, for these Halloween treats, I de-Persianized the tut recipe and turned them into delicious fall nuggets. I'm super proud of this recipe! Let me know if you make them! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS4N9tW8ni2YEuD87S3IaRD58II2tPTse_WmY_Wtpe4h9MjgTf9tcH49V1VWnBzDLgbvFxLpHla3jAzNpTuzJQ77l-RnLhfK32BqllugBG0SXK0Rt9GVU2lKLht6bCe37dNkRmg/s1600/halloween+dottie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="551" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS4N9tW8ni2YEuD87S3IaRD58II2tPTse_WmY_Wtpe4h9MjgTf9tcH49V1VWnBzDLgbvFxLpHla3jAzNpTuzJQ77l-RnLhfK32BqllugBG0SXK0Rt9GVU2lKLht6bCe37dNkRmg/s400/halloween+dottie.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Dottie broke her toe, so she has a splint on her back leg right now)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-size: x-large;"><b>Chai Spice Marzipan Pumpkins</b></span></div>
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makes 28-30 little pumpkins</div>
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<b>Chai Spice Mix</b></div>
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1/8 tsp cardamom</div>
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1/8 tsp allspice</div>
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1/8 tsp nutmeg</div>
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1/8 tsp ground cloves </div>
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1/4 tsp ground cinnamon</div>
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1/2 tsp ground ginger (scant)</div>
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Mix it all together. </div>
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<b>Marzipan Pumpkins</b></div>
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1.5 cups slivered almonds</div>
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1.5 cups powdered sugar</div>
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3/4-1 tsp chai spice</div>
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2 Tbsp + 2 tsp water</div>
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1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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orange food coloring</div>
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1-2 Tbsp almond meal, as needed</div>
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1/3 cup sugar</div>
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28-30 raw pistachio slivers*</div>
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Place the slivered almonds, powdered sugar, and chai spice in the bowl of a food processor and whiz it all together until quite smooth and well-blended. Obviously, the larger quantity of chai spice will give a more heavily spice flavor. Once well-ground, add in the water, food coloring, and vanilla extract. If the dough seems quite moist, add in the 1-2 Tbsp of almond meal. I almost always need to add this, as I prefer the "dough" to be a bit more stiff than loose, but it depends a bit on how the sugar and almonds mix up. The dough should be sticky, but workable, and the color should be well-incorporated. You can take it out of the food processor and stir it in a bowl to blend in the color. </div>
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Now, put the sugar in a little bowl. Roll the dough into small little balls - about the size of a small melon ball - and then roll the balls in the sugar to coat them. Use your thumb to gently flatten them slightly into a squat pumpkin shape. Take a pistachio sliver, and poke it into the pumpkin to mimic a little stem.</div>
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<b>Eat your tiny pumpkins! Share them with friends! </b></div>
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*I just buy some raw pistachios and use a sharp knife to cut some slivers. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwDI1g3hxthbHNa8JDrmX_Sc1yrzGAXbtqM-hs8SuawzBiV2B_LL_1yZNRg8vWB-ZbHZMcJ37warLplnqKWNoKeCbRo-fFQT0colof8hyj0KSIMJ1gTy-AF7J2PQlstoujVB36w/s1600/halloween+snoopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="767" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwDI1g3hxthbHNa8JDrmX_Sc1yrzGAXbtqM-hs8SuawzBiV2B_LL_1yZNRg8vWB-ZbHZMcJ37warLplnqKWNoKeCbRo-fFQT0colof8hyj0KSIMJ1gTy-AF7J2PQlstoujVB36w/s400/halloween+snoopy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Halloween!</span></b></div>
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I hope you have a nice holiday!</div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-19724617150317419462019-10-29T11:04:00.003-07:002019-10-29T11:04:39.012-07:00Makin' Applesauce in the Power Outage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have been having some crazy adventures out here... our utility has been turning off the power, in an attempt to prevent fires in this dry and windy season. I'm on board with preventing devastating fires... but it's a bit complicated because the company hasn't been able to provide clear information. This week we lost our power for 40+ hours. We knew the power outage was coming, and I was getting texts saying "click here to find out if you'll be affected." Every time I checked, I saw that we weren't going to be affected. Phew!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBa9q7UEpouwqNXsUeZweLXoXSfsVvt9lxiMEvuMSpRamyrsY0oZ0vDP8v9Rh30t1sCtO6b3AWzT71tr0kOS8KBNYsCjqfprFE-qgZq2TqGJqAg4aIDtSvYVxIT1czyFVyyBytA/s1600/Screenshot_20191028-211410_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1080" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBa9q7UEpouwqNXsUeZweLXoXSfsVvt9lxiMEvuMSpRamyrsY0oZ0vDP8v9Rh30t1sCtO6b3AWzT71tr0kOS8KBNYsCjqfprFE-qgZq2TqGJqAg4aIDtSvYVxIT1czyFVyyBytA/s640/Screenshot_20191028-211410_2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The first of several picks... and there are still lots more on the tree! </span></div>
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So, I decided I would finally tackle the huge quantity of apples that I had picked off our apple tree, and make some applesauce. I'd already done a huge batch of dried apples, and had all those apples already picked... so I got to work peeling, cutting out the icky and rotten bits, and filling my largest giant pot with apple pieces. AND THEN... the whole house went black!! WOMP WOMP. But what choice did have, but to forge ahead!?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4CWwK5E2Q3I7yeEg2W6Ke1JB0CJy-4kU-ED6psgFu3UD6GTEf5rGeg8KvMmQwm4_zs4GQ5IJrYu0pr1n6mhaR-dh2M0XWTVuAA-C5vsTBmSH5La5AandMQflFp0rth2kBFKvyQ/s1600/IMG_20191026_221238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4CWwK5E2Q3I7yeEg2W6Ke1JB0CJy-4kU-ED6psgFu3UD6GTEf5rGeg8KvMmQwm4_zs4GQ5IJrYu0pr1n6mhaR-dh2M0XWTVuAA-C5vsTBmSH5La5AandMQflFp0rth2kBFKvyQ/s400/IMG_20191026_221238.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pot full of apples, ready to start cookin'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Also, worst pictures ever shared on a food blog. ha ha ha ha</span></div>
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Equipped with my camping lantern and my headlamp, I sat there and continued preparing the apples. Fortunately we have a gas stovetop, so I could light the stove with matches and stay on task.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDQy0opy9CHHrEsUIQmu0SG5_yi-qoeEgC1Sjp6JxCE22FmLQVAOwq_u6Bmv0rzSvaR1JCFtvXFVJq0uIBTcHJx8lEnbZ0LQbCo8BmMy8onNH3A2dJ3cSeGVXx-uNPW8ElT5a5A/s1600/IMG_20191026_224315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDQy0opy9CHHrEsUIQmu0SG5_yi-qoeEgC1Sjp6JxCE22FmLQVAOwq_u6Bmv0rzSvaR1JCFtvXFVJq0uIBTcHJx8lEnbZ0LQbCo8BmMy8onNH3A2dJ3cSeGVXx-uNPW8ElT5a5A/s400/IMG_20191026_224315.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a ridiculous sideways selfie of me with my headlamp on, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">staring down into my giant pot of applesauce to get a sense of how things are cooking along! </span></div>
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I've shared my applesauce recipe in an old post from years ago (<a href="https://veganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com/2008/10/veganmofo-applesauce.html">here's a link</a>), but this was certainly a new experience doing it all in the dark - boiling the empty jars and canning lids, cooking the applesauce, setting up & filling all the jars... and then popping them back in the boiling water for a 25 minute "water bath." Oh my goodness, in all I spent 4 hours in the dark, making and canning applesauce and feeling extremely determined to see this project through to its end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BgNRbifSqiUbxfzY2lapGVPrBWwM2MOTs_vFF4-64XXszfp71Di8DhNDpxASDRnYnzqVmBMBRpf2oYXxC22E7LnRTVLvvGmIIDY4LVEHz5Idgim0yV_gzm8mp23gVIPaN5zoAA/s1600/applesauce+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BgNRbifSqiUbxfzY2lapGVPrBWwM2MOTs_vFF4-64XXszfp71Di8DhNDpxASDRnYnzqVmBMBRpf2oYXxC22E7LnRTVLvvGmIIDY4LVEHz5Idgim0yV_gzm8mp23gVIPaN5zoAA/s400/applesauce+.jpg" width="390" /></a></div>
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we tried to take a picture... but, uh, it was too dark! </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I had already given away two jars by the time I remembered to take a picture! </span></div>
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It was great to wake up in the light of the morning (still no power) and see all these beautiful jars of applesauce staring back and me. Of course, there are also still bajillions more apples also staring back at me, and supposedly more power outages on the way... so this may not be my last adventure of canning in the dark!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcorq3EcROll79sX1Ypm1BGD_OW0nL5UUxRYA6TerBBj6aFoA0TqUtuXB6_m_LCf7tgloRQhyphenhyphenAHPxemeLxk3lz3HWaFBH05alyliO8k4USLBXssstXouXx8CPQA_5MBuEIo_4RvA/s1600/canning+award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="516" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcorq3EcROll79sX1Ypm1BGD_OW0nL5UUxRYA6TerBBj6aFoA0TqUtuXB6_m_LCf7tgloRQhyphenhyphenAHPxemeLxk3lz3HWaFBH05alyliO8k4USLBXssstXouXx8CPQA_5MBuEIo_4RvA/s400/canning+award.jpg" width="387" /></a><br />
feeling quite pleased with myself!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQstklBSDR-nme3C0l5BZTzCfB5l5aYVE1-dDgPZoll_6a0QFE1W1TXQjZs2ms9stWOMqOI6LgBaccr71nvkYJvmrEGOV3QX9vb5p3d2znnqE69iWjJbW8cLJHVoHLUZPrnWcsw/s1600/IMG_20191027_091536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQstklBSDR-nme3C0l5BZTzCfB5l5aYVE1-dDgPZoll_6a0QFE1W1TXQjZs2ms9stWOMqOI6LgBaccr71nvkYJvmrEGOV3QX9vb5p3d2znnqE69iWjJbW8cLJHVoHLUZPrnWcsw/s400/IMG_20191027_091536.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">bonus black out pics! </span></b></div>
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It was cold in the house without our heater working, and we wanted a hot breakfast... without having to open the fridge. <b>Huzzah for oatmeal! </b>Straight out of the pantry cupboards, and into our mouths: oats, raisins, walnuts, shredded coconut, and a dash of maple sugar. Plus, naturally enough, a sliced apple from our bounty. Oh, and hot coffee too!! </div>
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Our little Snoopy doesn't have a thick coat of fur, and he was so cold on the mornings with no power. Poor little bebbeh. So we busted out his thick coat and soon he was all cozy again. </div>
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Happily, we have power back (for now!), so I can blog, and take hot showers, and open the refrigerator amongst other wonderful things! Turns out that I am a fan of electricity. And applesauce.</div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-66572719748450764042019-10-14T17:34:00.003-07:002019-10-14T17:34:32.863-07:00Yummy Yoga Retreat Eats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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so beautiful, right? </div>
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Two weekends ago it was my annual Autumn Yoga Retreat. This was my third year offering this yoga retreat, and I just love it. We gather at a really sweet studio called Trails Within in a small community called Graeagle. It's about 1 hour north of Truckee, and as you can see, it's just very, very beautiful. On my last morning, I woke up early and went down to this pretty river to do my chanting practice. So peaceful. </div>
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Dinners and Lunches! </div>
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One thing about this retreat location is that there isn't much vegan food in this little town, so it's best if I cook and bring all my own food along for the weekend. Plus, my excellent mom came with me to my retreat this year (and last year!) So, I made food for my mom and I both. After some contemplation and consideration, I decided to make a big batch of stuffed shells, and a big batch of chili.. it was a very satisfying combo of flavors and eating experiences! </div>
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For the <b>Stuffed Shells</b>, I made a great filling with tofu ricotta (tofu, miso, lemon juice, a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper), browned button mushrooms deglazed with white wine, steamed spinach, and caramelized leeks. ... with little dollops of cashew-silken tofu creme on top. And homemade tomato sauce - mostly because I had a ton of perfectly ripe tomatoes to use up before leaving town. I really cooked it down so that the flavors could intensify, and it was extremely excellent. </div>
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The chili is the <b>Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili</b> recipe from <i>Appetite for Reduction.</i> I LOVE this recipe so much. This time around I used kabocha squash instead of sweet potato, and served the chili with a bunch of fresh avocado and a big slice of toast. This batch turned out a bit extra spicey (I think maybe the chipotle chilies in adobo sauce I bought were just spicier than usual). No worries though, it helped to warm up through and through... and also the avo and toast helped cut the burn! </div>
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Sorry these pictures are kinda blah, but the lighting wasn't great in that little kitchen, and I was hungry. Ha ha. This wasn't really a moment for in-depth food styling... as much as it was a moment to put food in my face. </div>
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A VERY delicious Group Dinner! </div>
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Every year, my friend who hosts this retreat also organizes a group dinner. Last year her amazing friends catered the dinner and I was so stoked that they were willing to cater again this year. Their food is seriously SO DELICIOUS: healthy, organic, gluten-free, and just completely up my alley. They made every thing vegan except for one non-vegan soup for those who would prefer that option. Everything else was vegan.</div>
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One of the women who attended the weekend also agreed to host the group dinner at her super beautiful home, which was so gracious and it felt so cozy to be in someone's house.</div>
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As soon as we arrived, the caterers had a big pot of hot <b>Decaf Almond Milk Chai</b> waiting for us. The weather was hot and sunny in the daytime and cold and icy in the night (so autumnal!), so the hot chai was a perfect idea. We all lined up for a glass of that goodness! </div>
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The vegan options were: A huge <b>Kale Salad with chickpea croutons </b>and avocado, a <b>Red Quinoa Salad with Roasted Root Veggies</b>, and a <b>Butternut Bisque</b>. Holy majoley this whole meal was just exceptional. I eat a LOT of kale salad and this was one of my favorite kale salads ever! And the quinoa salad was full of roasted beets and squash, with a very nice dressing, so it was surprisingly filling. And for dessert there was a hot Apple and Cranberry Crisp with Coconut Cream on top. Mmmmmmmm. The topping was oaty and nutty and totally delicious. Why is an apple crisp such a perfect dessert? </div>
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Birthday Breakfast! </div>
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While we were up at the retreat, it also just happened to by my mom's birthday! Extra special! When I was planning our breakfasts for the few days we'd be there, I figured <b>Avocado Toast</b> was a pretty easy and eternally-satisfying bet! So I bought some really nice whole-grain sourdough bread from our local bakery, and enjoyed thick, hearty slices of avo toast every morning - complete with a squeeze of lime juice, a liberal dousing of Everything But the Bagel (homemade of course!), and nooch (for me only!). Plus fresh nectarines from the farmers' market - and coffee!! A good hot cuppa coffee is such a great thing on a cold, mountain morning. </div>
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Coffee! </div>
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Usually when I travel, I bring those little Starbuck's Via Pouches along with me - they're fast and easy and they taste good. But they're also not ethically-sourced coffee, and they come in little plastic pouches that are not environmentally sound. SO, i'm super stoked about these new <b><a href="https://steepedcoffee.com/">STEEPED coffee</a> </b>bags - they work just like a tea bag, but you're left with a satisfying cup of coffee that is really legit. They come in dark roast, french roast, medium roast, and light roast. </div>
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The best thing is: Ethically-sourced, fair-trade coffee in fully biodegradable, food-grade packaging materials! You can compost the whole thing! I'm pretty stoked to have these coffees as an on-the-go and travel option that I can feel so good about. </div>
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Cookies, OF COURSE</div>
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As I'm sure you know by now, I believe in cookies and the importance of cookies in a well-rounded life. Every time I offer a retreat, or even a day-long workshop, I always make cookies for everyone. After 2-3 hours of yoga, a hearty cookie experience is just what the doctor ordered! </div>
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This year I made two cookies from <a href="https://bittersweetblog.com/2019/10/14/sweet-vegan-treats-cookbook/">Hannah Kaminsky's newly released "<b>Sweet Vegan Treats</b>"</a> : </div>
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<b>Apricot Biscotti</b> - these gluten-free cookies really surprised me with their BIG burst of apricot flavor! Even when they were baking, the whole house was filled with a beautiful, fruity aroma. They have an almond meal and cornmeal base - which gives a lovely substance and bite. I think I may have packed mine up a little too soon after baking, while they were still warm, so they lost their crunch, but not their excellent flavor. As you can see, I tried writing "YOGA" in the vanilla glaze on some of them, ha ha... it was only partly successful, as the glaze started to spread and drip. hee hee.</div>
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<b>Almond Avalanche Bars</b> - hoo baby, these little guys are RICH! Gluten-free and also refined sugar-free (maple syrup and coconut sugar are the sweeteners), these bars are dense with an almond flour base and a nearly-gooey almond butter top layer, and then topped with sliced almonds. Some almond butter is more thick and some is more liquidy, and my almond butter was pretty loose, so I added an extra handful of almond butter to the "filling" and I'm glad I did. I cut these into pretty small squares (maybe 1.5"x1.5") and that was just about perfect since they're so rich! </div>
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I always love having some good gluten-free cookie ideas up my sleeves for situations like this, and both of these cookies were a big hit with my hungry students! </div>
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A Group Hike!</div>
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After a weekend of lots of yoga, inquiry, connection and laughter, we end the retreat with an optional group hike at the <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/bear-lakes-and-round-lake-loop-trail">Bear Lakes and Round Lake Loop</a>. It's such a beautiful hike, and as you can see, we pass by 4 hikes along the way. This year the aspens were turning yellow, there was melting snow on the ground from the week before, the sun was hot, the sky was 100% clear, and the evergreens were as green as ever. It's such a nice way to end the time together, in nature, and exploring this exceptionally beautiful part of our planet. </div>
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A little downtime!</div>
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After all the happy yogis dispersed to drive home or go back to their hotel or get back to their tent, I headed off for a very sweet and simple little hike that took me to a small lake called Sardine Lake. I found a sunny rock to lie on, where I could drink water, watch tiny fish in the lake, and do crossword puzzles in my NYT Crossword Puzzle book. A pretty great ending to a really special weekend. I'm already looking forward to going back again next year!<br />
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-54671096562121860612019-09-26T17:14:00.003-07:002019-09-26T17:14:46.842-07:00The Great Double Rainbow Potluck of 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you know what time it is?! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's <b><span style="color: #660000;">Do</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">ub</span><span style="color: #e69138;">le</span> <span style="color: #f1c232;">Ra</span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">in</span><span style="color: #38761d;">bo</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">w P</span><span style="color: blue;">ot</span><span style="color: #674ea7;">lu</span><span style="color: #351c75;">ck </span><span style="color: #741b47;">Ti</span><span style="color: #990000;">me</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">!</span></b></span></div>
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Last weekend we had our <b>TENTH Annual Rainbow Potluck!</b> It was such a great gathering... with lots of great food, of course! We also had a fun time reminiscing about ten years of rainbow potlucks... and we re-watched the most excellent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI">Double Rainbow YouTube video.</a> Oh my god that video makes me laugh so hard, I had tears streaming down my face!! The first year we had our Rainbow Potluck (2009) it was "just" a Rainbow Potluck. But then the Double Rainbow guy made his amazing video and we were inspired to have a "Double Rainbow" - each color represented with a savory dish AND a sweet dish. The rest is history!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Red Savory:</b></span> Gazpacho</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Red Sweet:</b></span> Cherry Pie</div>
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M & M took on the red challenge this year (last year they whole-heartedly volunteered for blue, which was a bold move!). I'm sorry I didn't get a more beautiful picture of this gazpacho, because it was <b>exceptionally delicious</b> and perfect for a hot last day of summer. I'm not always a gazpacho fan, but I really loved this one, it was one of my favorite dishes of the party! </div>
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For sweets, M made her second pie ever (!!) with a super fancy and beautiful crust and a delicious cherry filling. It's hard to argue with cherry pie because pie is a power food, as we all know! </div>
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Orange Savory:</span></b> Moroccan Carrot Salad</div>
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S did both orange dishes! For Savory, she made a big pot of Moroccan Carrot Salad. It was spicy and I really liked it! As you can see, she even put it in her beautiful orange pot. This dish reminded me so much of all the many carrot dishes we ate when we were in Morocco. It kinda makes me miss our travelin' days!<br />
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For the sweet dish, she made these sweet potato chipotle chocolate squares, from a Hannah Kaminsky recipe. They were SO GOOD. Happily, she made one million of them, so I got to rifle away some extras after the party. Great flavor, just a hint of spice, and a great texture too!<br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>Yellow Savory:</b></span> Yellow Rice with Korma Sauce and Tofus</div>
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<b><span style="color: #bf9000;">Yellow Sweet:</span></b> Lemon Cake! </div>
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A brought this huge golden Le Crueset full of yellow rice, tofus, and korma sauce and it was a SERIOUS hit. Apparently this is one of her son's favorite dinners, and since she wanted to make sure he'd actually eat something at the party (ha ha!), this is what she brought. Her kiddo has good taste, because this was so delicious and was a great "main course." The korma sauce recipe is from Isa Does It, and now I want to make it and try it in various stir fries. </div>
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N brought this lovely lemon cake (so cute!) - she even made it gluten-free since one of our beloved party attendees is gf. It was a total success. I wonder if this was the Millenium Restaurant lemon cake, de-glutenized? It was SO yellow and lemony, especially with the lemon drizzle and candied lemon peel on top. I am a life-long lover of lemon cake, so I loved this one. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Green Savory:</span></b> Guacamole</div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Green Sweet: </b></span>Kale & Apple Donuts</div>
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A brought a bunch of huge and perfectly ripe avocados and made two big bowls of guacamole. Guacamole is like the popular kid at the party - everyone always loves guac and he's always so popular. ha ha. The bigger bowl was "grown up guac" with some jalepeno and onion and maybe a dash of hot sauce? The smaller bowl was "kiddo guac" with just avo, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Everyone's happy! </div>
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K & K took on green sweet with a reprise of K's famous Kale and Apple Cake (also gluten-free). This cake has made an appearance at previous rainbow potlucks, but never in mini-donut form! You really can't taste the kale, but it does make the cake pleasantly greenish in appearance. I LOVED these. I don't know the source of her secret recipe, or of her cream cheese frosting, but these were extremely delicious and fun to eat. And cute. </div>
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ps. I am a dolt and forget to get proper photos of these last three dessert dishes, so these are actually just zoom-ins from that big picture of the whole table at the beginning of the post. I guess I was too excited about eating!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Blue Savory:</span></b> Blue Coconut Rice</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>"Blue" Sweet:</b></span> Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches</div>
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M was in charge of blue savory - a challenge he has taken on many times over the years. This year, he had grand plans to make blue ravioli... but also had a crazy busy work week, so he made this really lovely pot of blue coconut rice. He used Blue Butterfly Pea flowers for the blue coloring. It works like magic!! </div>
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I was in charge of blue sweet ... and my contribution was a flavor success and a blue fail. I was attempting to make blue chocolate chip cookies - but one of the rules of Rainbow Potluck is "no food coloring!" So, I used butterfly pea flowers, ground into a fine powder... but they really didn't turn the dough blue at all. Just a little bit greenish. So then I added cocoa powder, to darken them a bit, which basically turned them into blackish cookies. Ha ha. FAIL. At least they were very yums. On the inside of my ice cream sandwiches was homemade Blueberry Ice Cream - with blueberry juice concentrate (from the farmers market) and two cups of fresh bloobs. Well, this was extremely delicious and also extremely purple. I guess it's better to make something yummy, but not blue - rather than the other way around. Better luck next year! </div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Purple Savory:</span></b> Focaccia</div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Purple Sweet: </b></span>Blackberry Mochi</div>
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I was also in charge of both purple dishes. For Purple savory, I decided to try to make a purple focaccia, topped with purple veggies. I used butterfly pea flowers and beet powder to make the dough purple (but as you can see... after baking, the bread was really much more blueish than purple). I had a big selection of beautiful purple veggies to roast: purple potatoes, purple bell peppers, red onions, and a brilliantly purple Japanese eggplant. After roasting though... the eggplant and the bell peppers had cooked into a gloriously dull BROWN. ha ha. Thank god for the other two! I used a poolish focaccia recipe, and I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I'd like to try again and get a focaccia that I can be really proud of. </div>
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For purple sweet, I made Blackberry Mochi filled with homemade blackberry ice cream. I wish I had remembered to get a prettier picture! This was my first time attempting to make mochi. I watched a lot of videos on YouTube and read a few recipes online. I was really happy with my delicious blackberry ice cream, but my mochi was kind of a failure. It was too smooshy and not chewy at all. Harumph! I used Mochiko flour, but apparently there is an even better rice flour you can use. If you have any mochi-making tips, please tell me! I'd like to try again. </div>
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Purple Savory Bonus Pics</div>
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Just a baking/science observation here: On the left is my dough before baking, and on the right is after baking. As you can see, the dough was a beautiful, pale lavender color... But somehow, after baking, all the reddish color from the beet powder seemed to bake off into the ether, and I was left with blueish interior. Interesting! Maybe beet juice would offer a heavier RED hit, compared to the beet powder. </div>
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RAINBOW SALAD</div>
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purple bell peppers - red cabbage - red tomatoes - orange bell pepps - carrots - orangey-yellow tomato - yellow tomatoes - avocado - cucumber</div>
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... all over a giant bed of lettuce</div>
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Over years of hosting and attending potlucks, I reached the conclusion that every potluck benefits from a giant green salad. Usually there are a lot of rich and special dishes, and it just feels good to have a huge mound of salad somewhere in the meal. Plus, for rainbow potluck, it's a special joy to make such a beautiful salad with the glory of nature's bounty... and I get to use my huge and beloved big blue bowl. I'm tellin' ya, this was a big salad. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #134f5c;">My Rainbow Plates.</span></b>.. arranged in Rainbow Order, of course!</div>
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Because I am a nerd, and because I have enjoyed rainbow-order-ing things for as long as I can remember, I always insist on arranging my rainbow potluck samplings in gradient order on my plate. Somehow, it really completes the experience! What a great meal of veggies and flavors and colors! I especially love indulging a whole plate full of desserts! Check out how yellow that lemon cake was. </div>
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<b>A Perfect Gathering</b></div>
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It was a perfect warm-hot day, the official last day of summer! We ate around our big outdoor table... which is a special treat where we live, and where there is often a cold coastal fog in the afternoons. This day was warm and lovely. After dinner, we gathered around our little firepit and chatted chatted chatted late into the evening. </div>
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This year was extra cool, because N and her kiddos have moved about 1 hour away and I hadn't seen her boys in such a long time. We had three kiddos - reunited for the first time in a few years, and it was great to see them again and see them playing and laughing together! The oldest of them all is 10 this year, and he actually came to our very first Rainbow Potluck, as a little babe! </div>
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What a beautiful day. I feel lucky to have some pretty awesome and special pals. </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-59512101124360624722019-06-10T17:08:00.000-07:002019-06-10T17:08:14.295-07:00A Birthday with Lasagna, Spumoni & Spritz!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yesterday was my birthday (46! woot!), and this year I was in the mood for a little party... so I threw myself a fun and festive shindig. I really like having my actual birthday free to do whatever things I feel like doing... so I had my party on Saturday night and had all day on my actual day for yoga, lazy times, and time with friends. It was a pretty perfect birthday weekend. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLtjgxQA7mFC42ubM8kIBR3YvX_DwcRkyoDdl6sZiN4wYh5WpaEq4uzTYqePoctJbKtDlUg4kSZIPQnzYAUCGcLJFLuZSOon1hAw56rrUweAuen1Gj-6d4bLyYup_lHJhks-GoQ/s1600/spumoni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1057" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLtjgxQA7mFC42ubM8kIBR3YvX_DwcRkyoDdl6sZiN4wYh5WpaEq4uzTYqePoctJbKtDlUg4kSZIPQnzYAUCGcLJFLuZSOon1hAw56rrUweAuen1Gj-6d4bLyYup_lHJhks-GoQ/s640/spumoni.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Aperol Spritz 4EVR</div>
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Even though the New York Times had a mean-spirited article saying that Aperol Spritzes are terrible and cheap, we remain devoted fans of this crazy orange drink. I almost never drink alcohol... but the Italian part of my spirit just loves an Aperol Spritz every once in a while. We had lots of fizzy water and fizzy fruity drinks for the non-imbibers, but we also have lots of "spritz supplies" for those in the mood. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJC6CgX82112HS_DZ5x4_miHJfXQhaSH2H-DBd7xbY_2MZSRH_0tDPhanNtZ2Yvw67GylBrLb_aG-Dfay9pUtPAEeSWx-K4VhjJ8t-UPnWiPRNIRFPe4P5hQJhVy2-kIetlFxMQ/s1600/Screenshot_20190609-222819.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1600" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJC6CgX82112HS_DZ5x4_miHJfXQhaSH2H-DBd7xbY_2MZSRH_0tDPhanNtZ2Yvw67GylBrLb_aG-Dfay9pUtPAEeSWx-K4VhjJ8t-UPnWiPRNIRFPe4P5hQJhVy2-kIetlFxMQ/s640/Screenshot_20190609-222819.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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We started with some appetizers, spritzes, and hula-hooping in the backyard! I got some hula hoops at a swap meet recently and I love them so much! Even my mom and my auntie hula hooped! </div>
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My birthday lasagna</div>
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I really love lasagna, and so sometimes I decide to myself lasagna for my birthday. Lasagna is a lot of work, but it is also a lot of yum... and a lot of food... so I think it's worth it! This year I made THREE lasagne - a regular one, a gluten-free one with brown rice noodles (really good), and a small secret one (not pictured) that I saved so we could have leftovers all to ourselves the next day. Ha ha. </div>
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I am pretty proud of my lasagna recipe... <b><a href="http://veganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com/2011/06/birthday-lasagna_10.html">you can find my recipe here</a></b> from a birthday celebration blog post many years ago.</div>
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Trio of Summer Salads</div>
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My mom is kinda the Queen of Salads. She has so many super delicious and varied salads in her repotoire, so I asked her to bring some salads to my party. As you can see, she did a great job!! These were all so delicious, and a great balance with the lasagna. I mean, y'gotta have salad, right? </div>
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Focaccia</div>
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When I lived in Florence I ate a metric tonne of Schiaciatta on the daily, which is essentially Florence's version of focaccia. I just LOVE me some high-quality bread product. Sometimes I bake my own bread for parties, but I had a busy weekend planned and 3 lasagnas to make... so I bought some simple focaccia at the farmers market and popped it in the freezer until the day of our party. Perfect! There's actually a whole 'nother one in the freezer waiting for the mood to strike. </div>
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VEGAN SPUMONI!</div>
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Doesn't it look great??</div>
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The whole inspiration for my Italian dinner theme was a vision of creating <b>vegan spumoni ice cream.</b> I remember spumoni ice cream from when I was a little girl, but haven't ever seen a vegan version of it. When I was visiting my friend Sophia in Brooklyn earlier this year, we were looking at the spot called "Spumoni Gardens" ... and that's what got us started thinking about Spumoni and how to veganize it. So, I set about getting to work!! </div>
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I read lots of articles online about the history of spumoni and read lots of different recipes to have a good sense of my options. In the end I went for Pistachio, Cherry Amaretto, and Chocolate-Chocolate Chip. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Amey's 100% Pistachio Ice Cream</span></b></div>
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I used <b>Somer's</b> recipe for <b><a href="https://vedgedout.com/2013/03/16/vegan-almond-and-pistachio-ice-cream/">Pistachio Almond Ice Cream</a>,</b> but super-pistachio-fied it:</div>
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1 can full-fat coconut milk</div>
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1/3 cup pistachios soaked overnight, then drained</div>
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1 cup pistachio milk</div>
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1/4 c. pistachio butter</div>
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2 cups packed organic baby spinach</div>
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1/2 cup-2/3 cup agave syrup, to taste</div>
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1 teaspoon almond extract</div>
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1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios, roughly chopped</div>
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Put everything except the chopped pistachios in a blender and blend it until it is SUPER smooth and there are no spinach flecks or nutty bits. Then add in the chopped nuts and blend just for a second to integrate. Pour into a container and put in the fridge to cool for several hours or overnight. Freeze your ice cream container at the same time. Then pour the mix into your ice cream maker and you are good to go! </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Cherry Amaretto Ice Cream</span></b> </div>
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I modified the Amaretto Gelato recipe from <b><i>Wicked Healthy</i></b></div>
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1 cup raw cashews</div>
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1 can full-fat coconut milk</div>
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1/2 cup soy or almond milk</div>
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1/4 cup Amarena Cherries & Syrup</div>
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1/3-1/2 cup fresh cherries, chopped</div>
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1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur</div>
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1/4 cup agave syrup</div>
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1/4 tsp almond extract</div>
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1/2 tsp guar gum or xantham gum (optional)</div>
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1 cup fresh cherries, chopped</div>
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Freeze your ice cream tub overnight. Soak the cashews overnight, or boil them for a few minutes to soften them... then drain off the liquid. Add into your blender: the soaked cashews, coconut milk, soy milk, Amarena cherries, 1/3-1/2 cup fresh cherries, Amaretto, agave, almond extract, and guar gum. Whiz it up good until it's all super smooth. Gently mix in the remaining cup of chopped cherries. Transfer the mixture to the fridge and chill for several hours or overnight. Then make ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions. </div>
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the soy milk, I used Fabbri Amarena cherries and their liquid. Then I also added about 1 1/3 - 1 1/2 cups of chopped cherries - I got them at the farmers market, pitted them, froze them, and chopped them. I pureed 1/3-1/2 cup of the cherries in with the rest and then added the remaining 1 cup.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream</span></b></div>
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For the <b>Chocolate Ice Cream</b> I used<a href="https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-chocolate-ice-cream/"> this recipe</a> from <b>Minimalist Baker</b>. I'm copying and pasting it here so that I won't lose track of it. Let me tell you, this is some of the best ice cream I have EVER had. The only change I made was to add chocolate chips.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">3/4 cup water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 1/4 cups full-fat coconut milk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2/3 cup organic cane sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1/4 tsp sea salt</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">6 ounces vegan dark chocolate (finely chopped)*</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #202124; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">scant 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Put your ice cream freezer tub in the freezer. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To make the base, add the water, cane sugar, coconut milk, cocoa powder, and salt to a large saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Once it reaches a low boil, continue cooking and whisking for 1 minute. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla. Whisk until melted. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To remove any graininess, add to a blender and blend for 30 seconds on high. Then transfer to a tub and chill thoroughly overnight. It will get super thick! </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next day, add your chilled base to the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions - about 30 minutes or until it looks like soft serve. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enjoy as sort serve, or transfer to a parchment-lined dish or loaf pan, cover securely, and freeze for 4-6 hours, or until firm. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let thaw 10-15 minutes before serving to soften.</span></span></div>
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*note: I used 6 ounces of <b><a href="https://www.markethallfoods.com/products/chocolate-orange-spread-cioccoarancia">Cioccoarancia spread</a></b> instead of melted chocolate, it was great and gave the ice cream a dash of orange flavor. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyPTxnPlkei31LrJVqz7Fa2SYkBVChyowehzLUy4AKG0bCFAOAZTzOFCZR1cNY-qlFUIEFH6HpGnxVz_Q11b-_Qn0-Lm6HHiZOL9vwWZYXiRo5Kkfh0-pNvQd0lscWAJPNWc0Bw/s1600/vegan+spumoni+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1160" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyPTxnPlkei31LrJVqz7Fa2SYkBVChyowehzLUy4AKG0bCFAOAZTzOFCZR1cNY-qlFUIEFH6HpGnxVz_Q11b-_Qn0-Lm6HHiZOL9vwWZYXiRo5Kkfh0-pNvQd0lscWAJPNWc0Bw/s640/vegan+spumoni+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13hKGXxqaS5Uh5h-xyIkIfzyk-Sb9CurF4kUtFpnMafgYp05h3QirvfFQW6dXTPWyd_eRQi2u7AjRskGTTz046oISv0Baj6_wUxJs97sCFGLKsn4TMwYT5OKDiyyHvRMRIvDVhQ/s1600/vegan+spumoni+slice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13hKGXxqaS5Uh5h-xyIkIfzyk-Sb9CurF4kUtFpnMafgYp05h3QirvfFQW6dXTPWyd_eRQi2u7AjRskGTTz046oISv0Baj6_wUxJs97sCFGLKsn4TMwYT5OKDiyyHvRMRIvDVhQ/s400/vegan+spumoni+slice.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
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A slice of Spumoni!!</div>
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OMG. You guys. I was SO DELIGHTED at how delicious and beautiful my spumoni turned out! It was so pretty and all three flavors were super delicious. We all loved it and it was such a fun and super special treat. I did a crazed happy dance of joy - it's so fun to take on a culinary project and have it turn out perfectly!</div>
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I actually made two whole spumonis - I lined two banana bread loaf pans with saran wrap. Then I made the pistachio ice cream, and spread half of it evenly in each loaf pan. Then, repeat with the cherry-amaretto, and with the chocolate. It was easy to get them out of the loaf pan and remove the saran wrap. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1WuvRj9XaknQYgIomemetSPU84jne9OTt-sWiM7yGYrDzllvDBLSt5C3PRWfValtXya3BivRiZzvX9Stm7MxWCTOnOrcyeGWyZrgzhaiVXpjiuVSb3z9I4VoLfMW4sz-grfEeA/s1600/vegan+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="1204" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1WuvRj9XaknQYgIomemetSPU84jne9OTt-sWiM7yGYrDzllvDBLSt5C3PRWfValtXya3BivRiZzvX9Stm7MxWCTOnOrcyeGWyZrgzhaiVXpjiuVSb3z9I4VoLfMW4sz-grfEeA/s640/vegan+cookies.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cookie Platter</div>
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Just in case the spumoni was a total failure, I thought I'd better have a whole lot of cookies on hand. Plus, you know I love cookies. I made <b><a href="https://vedgedout.com/2015/03/26/the-best-vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies/">Somer's Chocolate Chip Cookies</a> </b>and a batch of<b> Amaretti </b>and some <b>Cowboy Cookies </b>- both of which were gluten-free. Why are cookies so perfect and delicious? Of course the Spumoni wasn't a failure, but the cookies were a perfect compliment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdLjnPKt4ELt2BsQ1h_ztyaURt8Yxi5kxw6F4wR-CaEH08EyPhxptfydZyqf2evrht5mCKcIyy2IHtKi94_HNYgC7WMzPdlsc98snnqKxJweZf7djVoSIxyim0hf6jL3KYjkOGA/s1600/backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1600" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdLjnPKt4ELt2BsQ1h_ztyaURt8Yxi5kxw6F4wR-CaEH08EyPhxptfydZyqf2evrht5mCKcIyy2IHtKi94_HNYgC7WMzPdlsc98snnqKxJweZf7djVoSIxyim0hf6jL3KYjkOGA/s640/backyard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Having a birthday in early June means that often my birthday is cool and foggy, or even rainy. But this year, the weather gods graced me with a truly perfect weekend. The day was warm-bordering-on-hot... and even the evening was not too cool. That's pretty rare with our coastal weather here.</div>
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We had our fire pit going, and a few blankets for extra coziness... and we were able to enjoy our dinner and our dessert outside all night long. It was such a beautiful and peaceful, intimate gathering of pals and family. Such a perfect way to celebrate - to love and feel loved. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotUwUwa7BGzasd7cfcDFT3ExzlUaDXbG9s9PYBxtsBcCv_tmVTQTsKduIgcsCI0uEnXqyEpjyQTTGjB_NZokmXdBKM5nWtEMVByDhnrGWxIeN_HWSambZo1w6lBkZlSMaMtyufw/s1600/footiekins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1204" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotUwUwa7BGzasd7cfcDFT3ExzlUaDXbG9s9PYBxtsBcCv_tmVTQTsKduIgcsCI0uEnXqyEpjyQTTGjB_NZokmXdBKM5nWtEMVByDhnrGWxIeN_HWSambZo1w6lBkZlSMaMtyufw/s400/footiekins.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Usually we bring Footie in before dark, but since we were enjoying the evening with the doors open and in the great outdoors... we let Footie enjoy the evening too. Mr VE&T got this beautiful picture of him up on our back fence... enjoying the stars. What a good kitty. </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-59789266801646401092019-05-21T16:35:00.000-07:002019-05-21T16:35:01.687-07:00Vegan Shoe Review: JBU Wildflower Sandals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEB8oy_1q85BmpUHSD40yFZppt2Ae9BwSDD2e1HK70PJ4LGFBaSGBxnhx8igM-gqu8JWtzhozdtjVdyy_Ww-QObyc89dAWvBdvgTgD2kukj14JkDE8F9t9EqDD0kdcFgahXDSKQ/s1600/wildflower+sandals+stevie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEB8oy_1q85BmpUHSD40yFZppt2Ae9BwSDD2e1HK70PJ4LGFBaSGBxnhx8igM-gqu8JWtzhozdtjVdyy_Ww-QObyc89dAWvBdvgTgD2kukj14JkDE8F9t9EqDD0kdcFgahXDSKQ/s640/wildflower+sandals+stevie.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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OH HAI!</div>
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at the park with our beloved Ms. Stevie Wonder</div>
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It's time for my final Jambu vegan shoe review of the season! Today's review is for these fun and fantastic <b><a href="https://goo.gl/Mm7e58">Wildflower Sandals</a> from JBU</b> (a sub-brand of <a href="https://goo.gl/4BTPK4">Jambu Shoes</a>). </div>
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Honestly, even though it's almost June, we haven't been having a lot of sandal weather in these parts... rain, rain, rain! - but I've found a few sunny days to break out these cute sandals, and there's plenty of sunshine in the forecast and I am READY! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M3UDsxbMbUK2lK96uyFm193v3f06wycuvSgdxsrvmz5cjA9JQxKL511ch9U8zGwVAkIsJcioqpMMcSp8SDyxag3jF_J2LnI-KyYUenoyl8iu3MUpbSes0GJXmOpu7lfj5RcbEQ/s1600/wildflower+sandal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M3UDsxbMbUK2lK96uyFm193v3f06wycuvSgdxsrvmz5cjA9JQxKL511ch9U8zGwVAkIsJcioqpMMcSp8SDyxag3jF_J2LnI-KyYUenoyl8iu3MUpbSes0GJXmOpu7lfj5RcbEQ/s640/wildflower+sandal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wildflower Sandals with Wildflowers</div>
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These sandals are secured with that cute little floral ankle strap - they're easy to slip in and out of. You can't really tell from these pictures, but if you look at the pic of Stevie and me at the park, you'll also see that the soles have a little height to them. They aren't quite platform sandals, but they do give a little height boost... maybe an inch or so.<br />
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The Wildflower Sandals come in several colors. After an internal debate about dark grey vs. red, I went for dark grey. But the red ones are super cute. They also come in light grey/beige and blue. I wanted a neutral color so I could wear them with a wider selection of summer dresses, pants, and yoga tights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCjD0_jX21bMMl5IcDhoOUOJPUvIis8HWeC4_6YVAMYXkLb4QdTB7Bz7l7QCfq_HtDhiBa-LNmyTBeit9t7Wk_LCM6tf6ms2leIaV7lVIUUkBH0QdUs4pzovBzT62aY6UqVepFw/s1600/wildflower+sandals+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="963" data-original-width="1600" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCjD0_jX21bMMl5IcDhoOUOJPUvIis8HWeC4_6YVAMYXkLb4QdTB7Bz7l7QCfq_HtDhiBa-LNmyTBeit9t7Wk_LCM6tf6ms2leIaV7lVIUUkBH0QdUs4pzovBzT62aY6UqVepFw/s640/wildflower+sandals+better.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Watching the Ground Squirrels!</div>
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Mr. VE&T took this sneaky picture of me watching the ground squirrels at the park. When it rains a lot, the ground squirrels are closer to the surface, and on this day, there were tons of them running all over and chirping at our dogs. So cute.<br />
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The first time I wore these sandals, I popped 'em straight out of the box and on to my feet and went for a long dog walk. I suppose that could have been a bad idea - but it wasn't! They didn't require any breaking in at all... comfortable and easy to wear right out of the gate. I've been gardening in them (spring time WEEDING galore!), running errands, and wearing them to teach, and haven't had any issues with discomfort or blisters.<br />
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Sandals in the Sky! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">COUPON CODE!</span></div>
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If you also want to spend your Spring and Summer bopping around with flowers on your feet - you're in luck! You can use the coupon code <b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">VEGANEATS19</span></b> to get<b> 20% off</b> any purchase at <a href="https://goo.gl/4BTPK4">Jambu.com</a></div>
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<i>Coupon code is good through June 30th</i></div>
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Remember, Jambu makes lots of cute <a href="https://goo.gl/6cyDU6">vegan shoes</a> for women, but they also make shoes that aren't vegan - so make sure you're shopping in the <a href="https://goo.gl/6cyDU6">vegan shoes</a> section! </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-67787713633216233822019-05-09T16:02:00.002-07:002019-05-09T16:02:42.720-07:00Vegan Shoe Review: Tahoe Encore by Jambu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"> Oh, Hello!</span></i></b></div>
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Last month we travelled to Florida to visit Mr VE&T's mom on the Atlantic coast. It had been a while since we'd been back there and I had sort of forgotten how much I enjoy Florida. Springtime was the perfect time to visit too - not too hot, very few bugs, and not too much action on the beach. We stayed at a cute little hotel about 1 block from the beach and had a nice little beach walk together every morning. Can you see that I was seriously in <b>beach mode</b>?? We actually live near the beach, but here in Santa Cruz the water is extremely cold. It was such a luxury to just jump in the ocean and frolic with joyful abandon!<br />
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For our trip, I brought along my beloved new pair of <b><a href="https://goo.gl/MBki5F">Tahoe Encore</a> sneakers</b>. This is one of the spring styles I was sent to review from <b>Jambu shoes</b>, and I have been wearing them A LOT. They're a simple slip-on sneaker, and for my feet, the fit is perfect: pleasantly snug so that I feel quite sure-footed in them, but not tight or constrictive.<br />
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The beaches in Florida are pretty spectacular - even if it was a little windy on this particular day! </div>
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I was able to wear these shoes straight out of the box, with no socks, and my feet were perfectly happy! The Tahoe Encore sneakers are "<b>water ready</b>" so you can also wear them in the water. I've actually wanted a pair of water shoes for a while - I remember when we went to Croatia and the beaches were made of pebbles.... all the locals had water shoes, while we clumsily hobbled around. There are also some really pretty streams in the woods here in Santa Cruz, where we would like to be able to explore and walk the dogs, but water-friendly shoes are a must. So, I'm eager to put these shoes to use in the water! </div>
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Sun, Sand and Sneakers! </div>
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The lighter-colored fabric on the <b><a href="https://goo.gl/MBki5F">Tahoe Encore</a></b> sneakers is a <b>micro-buck </b>(vegan, of course!!), and the darker fabric is a <b>mesh</b>. These sneakers fit with a nice snug feel, but are quite breathable as a result of the mesh. The insole is memory foam for maximum comfiness, and because these are also water shoes, the insole is made with a material that never felt clammy when I wore them with no socks. A lot of shoes end up feeling yucky with no socks, and I haven't had that issue at all with these. (That said, I also enjoy wearing these with socks - just not when I'm in Florida!! ha ha) </div>
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Mr. VE&T snapped that picture on the top left - when I had tucked my hotel key and sunglasses into my shoes to go for a dip in the ocean! So cute... always looking for a good shot, that guy.</div>
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the beaches in Florida have these beautiful shaded paths to the water.</div>
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So far, I've worn my Tahoe Encore shoes for zipping around to and from class, dog walks, errands, to my workout, and even on a couple light hikes. Really, I have been wearing them all the time! I love that they're so easy to slip in and out of, but that they also look cute, like a proper sneaker. </div>
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On my feet, they're <b>SUPER lightweight</b>, and <b>very comfortable</b> to wear. I wear a size 9 and these fit me true to size. That said, if you want to wear them with hearty socks, or if your feet run a little large, you might consider trying both your usual size and a half-size up and seeing which works better for you. They don't have a ton of arch support, so if that's something you need, you may need inserts (but unfortunately, you're probably already be used to that!). They also come in <b>6 different color palettes. </b></div>
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Incidentally, these were also <b>great travel shoes</b> - really lightweight in my pack, comfortable for walking around all day, breathable, quick-drying when they got wet... I'll definitely remember that for future travels! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnCMaJKAXBsvPDsEDUKH0dEnlflp8syHWMCiLOocCLVaBjq5f7xSwbQLOws4jWmLzY4NsJr3TRqIjtVb4jsFDbb-gdv-NVgPzHoZPu202RaKsrXKBigmdwcngzobf1kynyWeG2w/s1600/tahoe+encore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1600" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnCMaJKAXBsvPDsEDUKH0dEnlflp8syHWMCiLOocCLVaBjq5f7xSwbQLOws4jWmLzY4NsJr3TRqIjtVb4jsFDbb-gdv-NVgPzHoZPu202RaKsrXKBigmdwcngzobf1kynyWeG2w/s640/tahoe+encore.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">COUPON CODE!</span> </span></b></div>
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Use the code <b>VEGANEATS19</b> to save<b> 20% off any purchase</b> at <b><a href="https://goo.gl/Tetd7x">Jambu.com</a></b> </div>
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<i>Offer good through June 30th! </i></div>
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Jambu makes a lot of really great <b><a href="https://goo.gl/oiujFe">vegan shoes</a></b> for women - sneakers, dressy shoes, boots, and sandals... but not all the shoes they make are vegan. So make sure you're shopping in the vegan section before you fall in love with a style that turns out not to be veegs. </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-52525953760496320042019-05-09T15:24:00.001-07:002019-05-09T15:26:04.892-07:00NoRooz Mobarak! A Persian New Year Celebration! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy NoRooz!</span></b></div>
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Happy springtime to you! If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you already know about my deep love for Persian New Year. I first started celebrating NoRooz about 25 years ago, when I had a boyfriend who was from Iran. I just fell in love with pretty much everything about this beautiful and meaningful holiday. So, even after he and I parted ways, I decided I would keep on celebrating NoRooz! </div>
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This year we celebrated Persian New Year a little bit late... but technically the NoRooz season goes on for a good little stretch, so it's all good! For me, NoRooz is a lot like Christmas or Thanksgiving, I spend a few weeks scheming what dishes I'll prepare, I clean the house, I set up my Haft Sin display on the mantle... It all builds excitement and anticipation. </div>
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<b>Sabzi</b>!</div>
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One thing you need to be prepared for with NoRooz: SO MANY HERBS. This year I bought 5 bunches of scallions, 5 bunches of cilantro, 6 bunches of parsley (and then I had to send Mr VE&T out for more!), 5 bunches of dill, and a ginormous bag of baby spinach. Herbs galore! NoRooz is a celebration of springtime and the herbs are symbolic of the verdant growth of spring. They are also super beautiful and aromatic and delicious. Several years ago, I got a tip that I could do my herb mincing in the food processor - a major boon! The night before NoRooz, my pal came over and helped me de-stem and separate all my bunches of cilantro and parsley. So helpful and way more fun with a buddy!! </div>
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<b>Saffron</b>!</div>
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Many Persian dishes also call for saffron - such a gorgeous and special ingredient. This is a dish of saffron threads soaking in rosewater... getting ready to be a part of one of the sweeties I made. I love all the beauty and aromas of the ingredients as I'm cooking and preparing for NoRooz.</div>
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<b>Nan-e Barbari</b></div>
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I found this recipe on the King Arthur flour website several years ago and it's been a favorite ever since. The bread is a bit chewy, but not too dense. Those long ridges are made by pressing the end of a wooden spoon into the surface. Such a cool effect. This year I used my homemade "everything but the bagel" (with added nigella seeds) on top - so good! Next year maybe I will make 3 loaves, since this stuff always flies off the appetizers table in a flash!!</div>
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all sliced up and ready to be enjoyed!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TtVzPaWA0gynsl2DiVZr90q28gaCm4qJZL1JGTL1ClXZs8vDR0ii1L589ltMIF-Zyr3vH9GYVEp6JdMEX-8RWi0-6nSO5PLYKkQAhrn_RElstAP8NWSHrKz3SKjTu_4Ji611Pg/s1600/MVIMG_20190329_182453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="775" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TtVzPaWA0gynsl2DiVZr90q28gaCm4qJZL1JGTL1ClXZs8vDR0ii1L589ltMIF-Zyr3vH9GYVEp6JdMEX-8RWi0-6nSO5PLYKkQAhrn_RElstAP8NWSHrKz3SKjTu_4Ji611Pg/s640/MVIMG_20190329_182453.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Cheese and Herbs Platters</b></div>
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I made two cheese platters for hungry NoRooz celebrants! I started the homemade cheese about 5 days before the party, using the cashew chevre recipe from Miyoko's Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook. It's actually really easy (especially if you cheat and use store-bought rejuvelac), but it does take several days to ferment and get the best flavor. I rolled each log in a mix of minced fresh herbs and walnuts. To go with the cheese was lavash, fresh herbs, sliced dates, radishes and olives. SO good!! I prepared two large platters and there was barely any left by the end of the evening.</div>
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<b>Shirazi Salad</b></div>
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Every party needs a giant fresh salad - and NoRooz is no exception! Shirazi Salad is simple and perfect - cukes, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and a hearty dose of fresh herbs. This year my friend Kenan came over and spent the whole afternoon helping me in the kitchen. It was so fun and so appreciated. Kenan is Turkish and knows his way around a good salad! In fact, he was so super helpful that we even had time to sit down and take a rest for 45 minutes or so!!</div>
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<b>Ghormeh Sabzi</b></div>
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Oh, the magic of Ghormeh Sabzi!! So flavorful and perfectly rich - boatloads of fresh herbs, some portabello and onion sauteed for umami, kidney beans, and dried Omani limes for seasoning... this is a really special dish and a NoRooz classic! Can you see the big round dried limes in the bowl up near the top of the picture? Dried limes are a very special and underappreciated ingredient! I used one of my very favorite and most special serving bowls for this dish - a huge bowl that I bought in Portugal several years ago. </div>
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<b>Vegan Kuku Sabzi</b></div>
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Kuku Sabzi is traditionally an omelette full of minced herbs, chopped walnuts, and barberries. After years of trial and error, I settled on a good recipe based on the mini tofu quiches from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recipe. Yet, trying to wedge those little quiches out from my mini muffin pan was an unappreciated amount of labor and struggle on a day when you need every minute! So, I've been working my way back to trying to prepare kuku sabzi in a more traditional form: a giant piece cut into wedges. Using my usual recipe, this time I put the batter into my biggest cast iron pan, put the pan on a pizza stone in the oven, and baked at 375 for about 30-35 minutes. It takes a while to backed through, and the pizza stone really helps the bottom cook at the same place as the top. </div>
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This is one of my top top top favorite NoRooz dishes. Seriously, you should try them. The flavors are so harmonious, and unless you're used to Persian food the flavor combination will be new and unexpected! If you don't have barberries, just use cranberries or leave them out all together. You will love them either way!</div>
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<b>Sabzi Pillow</b></div>
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A proper Persian rice is one of the highlights of any Persian feast, and sabzi polow is the dish to make for NoRooz! This is rice mixed with a bazillion minced herbs, some sauteed leeks, some vegan yogurt, and vegan butter. The rice is rinsed and parboiled before being slowly steamed to create a crunchy "tahdig" crust all around the exterior. The crunchy bits are the best part!! </div>
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The final act of flipping the polow out of the pot and onto the serving platter is always a moment of hope, prayer, and trepidation - will the crust be undercooked and not sufficiently golden? Will the crust be overcooked and burnt?? This year I was delighted with my golden crunchy tahdig, even if a little spot stuck to the pan and had to be cosmetically repaired! I'll choose that dilemna over insufficient crunchiness every time!</div>
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<b>Amoli Rice</b></div>
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I don't make this rice every year, and I know it's kinda crazy to have two rice dishes, but there were plenty of folks in attendance, and this dish is just so delicious. This recipe is from Silk Road: A Vegetarian Journey. It's a visually beautiful dish, with an elegant combination of sweet and savory flavors: rice with candied orange peel and grated carrots, barberries (and/or cranberries), raisins, almonds, all tossed with a dressing of fresh herbs, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil - and served over baby arugula. It's just so lovely and colorful, and the flavors and textures are great together.</div>
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<b>Aash-e Reshteh</b></div>
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This soup is a NoRooz necessity! And as long as you use veggie broth, it's authentically vegan! When I was making the aash this year, I was just transported to a flood of NoRooz memories - kinda like eating a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving time. The aroma of the herbs and spices cooking together is so distinct and so evocative. This is a hearty bean soup with three kinds of beans and lentils, along with noodles, beets, onions, lots of seasoning, mounds of herbs and spinach... It's so satisfying and actually so healthy. </div>
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The food of NoRooz is special and elegant, but not overly rich or decadent. I love this about the holiday actually! It's so seasonally appropriate that foods celebrating springtime wouldn't be meant to leave you feeling overly bogged down or heavy. Instead they are full of freshness and life! </div>
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<b>Magical garnish!!!</b></div>
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This little bowl may not look like a beautiful picture, but this is a sublime concoction of finely sliced onions cooked into oblivion with dried mint and turmeric until the flavors meld and harmonize and become absolutely stunning. This is meant to be a garnish for the aash-e resteh, and I always make a double batch so that my friend Jasmine and I don't have to fight over it! Ha ha. </div>
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<b>My dinner plate of celebratory joy!</b></div>
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Here's my plate full of Persian food - colorful, beautiful, varied, delicious, healthy, elegant, and amazing. </div>
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<b>Party drinks!</b></div>
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I made two simple party drinks: a pomegranate limeade and a mint limeade. For the pomegranate limeade I just combined fresh pomegranate juice from the farmers market with fizzy water and a good dose of fresh lime juice from our lime tree. For the mint limeade, I made a batch of simple syrup, which I poured over a big heap of fresh mint while it was still hot and left it to steep for a few hours. Later I took out that weary mint and added the minty syrup with fresh lime juice, fizzy water, and several sprigs of fresh mint. Easy and delicious! It's nice to have a fresh, light drink with the rich and nuanced flavors of NoRooz. </div>
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<b>Tut!</b></div>
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"What about desert?", you may be wondering. Oh yes, there was desert!! This year I was very proud of myself for only slightly overdoing it with three different sweeties, rather than completely overdoing it with 4-5 sweeties!! Ha ha. That's what I usually do. </div>
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The first thing I made was a big batch of tut - Persian marzipan sweets made with almonds, powdered sugar, and rosewater. They are so beautiful and elegant. They're meant to resemble little mulberries, so after they've been formed into oblong shapes, they're rolled in sugar and then you put a little pistachio slice in the fat end so that it looks like the stem on a mulberry. If you have a food processor, this is an extremely easy and quick recipe, with very lovely and elegant results. If you don't have a food processor, I'm not sure what to tell you! Borrow one from your neighbor? </div>
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<b>Kolompeh!!</b></div>
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Look at these beautiful cookies!! Persian culture values beauty and elegance - you can see it in their poetry, architecture, music, miniatures, and of course also in the food. Several years ago I bought this beautiful wooden Kolompeh press from zozobaking.com - Fariba's website has a TON of amazing recipes and she also has a great bazaar with her baked goods (several of which are vegan), as well as beautiful objects that she brings back from her visits to Iran. I've bought several things from her over the years and I love them all.</div>
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I was so excited to use my kolompeh press at last, and to make these gorgeous and sophisticated cookies! These cookies don't actually have any sugar in them - the dough is savory kinda like pie crust, and the filling is made with dates and walnuts and a Persian spice mix. They're very light and lovely! I sprinkled the tops of some with ground up pistachios and left others plain so the design would be more visible. I was so happy with how they turned out and will definitely make them again!!<br />
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<b>Dessert platter full of pretty sweets!</b></div>
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Here you can see my tuts, my finished kolompeh cookies and some sohan as-ali. Sohan were the first Persian dish I ever learned to cook and I love them so much. Usually there's a bit of drama with candy making, but this year I was patient and relaxed and they came out perfectly! Was this just a fluke of good fortune, or am I getting the hang of it?? Next year will be a true test! Sohan are a toffee of sorts, made with almonds, saffron, rosewater, and topped with pistachio bits. Oh man. They are just amazing. </div>
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Are there any holidays that you celebrate that most people don't celebrate? NoRooz has become one of my favorite times of year and I feel so much energy and anticipation and joy during this whole time. It's funny to be at the market shopping fory 100,00 bundles of herbs and having other people ask "what are you going to do with that??" One year I went to the Persian market about any hour away, right before NoRooz, and the whole store was bustling with excitement and happiness. It was so wonderful to be part of the collective vibe of the holiday. </div>
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Either way, springtime and rebirth and renewal and the return of light are all beautiful things to embrace and recognize with ceremony and joy. Happy spring to you!!</div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-26767594335695331112019-04-11T12:33:00.002-07:002019-04-18T13:53:10.209-07:00A Trip to Sam Cobb Date Farm for Fresh Dates! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>doo doo doo... la di da ... doo doop doo wop </b></div>
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That's the sound of me doing a happy dance whenever I get to stock up on more dates from Sam Cobb Date Farm - but especially when we get to <b>visit the actual date farm! </b><br />
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I love this picture of Sam up in the date tree! I *think* this was a medjool tree, if I recall correctly.</div>
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Every year when we go south to the Indian Well Tennis Tournament, we save one whole day of our trip for exploring and having fun in the desert. I always insist on a stop at<b><a href="http://www.samcobbfarms.com/"> Sam Cobb Date Farm</a></b> - I love loading up on boxes and boxes of dates and getting to sample all the varieties. I love visiting with Sam and Maxine, and supporting their family farm. I even love the drive there, past the Coachella Valley Preserve, past the wild flowers, and over some big rolling bumps that make the car ride feel like a roller coaster.<br />
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getting a tour around the farm</div>
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This year's visit was especially fun because my mom and my aunt were with us. They have both received many boxes of dates from<b> Sam Cobb Farms</b> over the years, because their dates are one of my favorite gifts to give people. So it was super fun to bring them along and they got to see the farm and some of the date trees, and meet Sam and Maxine, and buy some dates of their own!<br />
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Sam just happened to drop by when we were there, which was great. He showed us around the farm (they also have more farmland and more date trees in another spot). In addition to a life-long passion for agriculture and farming, Sam has also had a long career in soil conservation. And it turns out that my aunt Laura worked for the same agency earlier in her career. So they had a great time connecting over the early days of soil conservation and how it has evolved.<br />
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A few beautiful date trees</div>
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It's so special and amazing to learn about where our food comes from. I think there's something very innate about understanding what we're eating, where it came from, and even who grew it. That's a big part of why I love going to the farmers' market every week, learning about the farmers, learning about what grows locally, and when... So it really feels special to see all these date trees and to learn more about where this magical fruit comes from.</div>
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Sam was telling us about the 7-year cycles that date trees have. All in all, it takes 21 years for a date tree to begin enough fruit to really be considered a crop! But after that, they can live and produce for a long time. Also, did you know that every single date pit is a potentially new variety of date?? The only way to propagate the same variety is to take the offshoots that spring up at the base of the tree (you can see some in this picture). Those are allowed to grow for quite a while before they are removed and planted on their own. In the next picture (bottom right) you can see a whole row of baby palms all lined up in pots... awaiting the next chapter of their palm lives! </div>
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Farm fun!</div>
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See the white bags on the tree? That's to keep birds and other creatures and critters away from the date clusters as they ripen on the tree. Sam Cobb Date Farm has a website so you can order direct, and I usually end up making a few orders a year - after I run out of my spring time stash, and always for xmas presents. But when you drop by for a visit in person,* you can try all the different varieties of dates that they grow. I think it's eight different varieties? It's so amazing how different they all are!! Some are super gooey and sweet, some are firm and sweet, some are much more dry and nutty in flavor... it's such a range. It's fun to sample them all and see that we each had different favorites. </div>
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*The farm is open on the weekends 9am-5pm, October-April</div>
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These were the varieties Mr VE&T and I selected:</div>
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<b>Jumbo Medjool</b>, <b>Black Gold</b> (my personal all-time fave! rich, in-between soft and dry, great flavor), <b>Safari</b> (Mr VE&T's favorite - they're dry and chewy and nutty), and <b>Zahidi</b>. My mom chose <b>Medjools</b> and <b>Bahri</b> dates (super smoosy, small, golden, and very sweet). My auntie got two boxes too - but I am naughty and don't remember which ones she chose! We all came home with lots of dates! </div>
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Picking dates off the tree! Nom nom.</div>
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How cool is this? Sam let us each pick a date right off the tree. OH MAN. So fresh and perfect. Have you ever eaten a date that's a little over the hill - kinda stale, crystallized maybe? Well, this was the opposite of that! ha ha. I hope you get to have this experience someday! </div>
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<b>What to do with all those dates??</b></div>
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I mostly just eat my dates as a sweetie nibble - I love to rip them in half, remove the pit, and fill the little empty pockets with peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini. Sometimes I get super fancy and add coconut flakes or cocoa nibs or a whole almond for some crunch. Even chocolate chips are good in there! But usually I'm happy with the basic. Of course I also use them for cooking - some of the special cookies I made for Persian New Year had dates in the filling, and the 5-star amazing cookies I made at Christmas time had lots of dates in the filling. There are a lot of great recipes that use dates as a sweetener! What are your favorite date recipes??? I still have lots of dates to eat, so I'm all ears! </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-90844202191733706032019-04-11T11:53:00.003-07:002019-04-11T11:53:39.560-07:00Palm Desert Adventures: Eatin' Vegan at Indian Wells<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Indian Wells // BNP Paribas Open</div>
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A couple weeks ago, Mr. VE&T and I made our annual trek down to Palm Desert for our yearly tennis and desert adventure. But this year was extra special because we had two special guests: my mom and my auntie! It was so superfun! As you can see from our attire, the weather this year was downright mild - even chilly - compared to usual. Jeans and long sleeves in the desert!<br />
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This is the 5th or 6th time we've gone down, and it's always a fun adventure. Every year is a little different, but we have our favorite experiences and restaurants too, of course. I don't know how many vegan tennis fans there are out there, but I thought I'd write up some of our favorite spots in case you're ever in the area! </div>
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<a href="https://www.mammagina.com/"><b>Ristorante Mamma Gina</b></a></div>
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Mamma Gina's simply must come in first place. It's always our favorite place to eat dinner when we're in Palm Desert. Honestly they don't have a *ton* of vegan options, but they have *some* and the scene is excellent. Mamma Gina's has two locations, one in Palm Desert, CA and one in Florence, Italy. That's a good sign! </div>
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First of all, they have some seriously stupendous focaccia, and they give it to you for free. Friends, I am such a focaccia snob, and I'm pretty sure I would happily go to this restaurant if this was the only vegan thing on the whole menu! ha ha. But it's not. They have minestrone soup, pasta e fagioli soup, a couple good pasta dishes that are vegan if you just leave off the parmesan, and and incredibly generous and mega-garlicky side of spinach that totally satisfied this traveling vegan's need for greens - if you know what I mean. </div>
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We always like to eat in the bar, where there's tennis on TV, the menu is a bit smaller but way more affordable, and the mood is quite festive. It's super fun for us to be in a space where everyone's watching and talking about tennis. Usually, when you are a tennis fan, everyone else is just talking about basketball and football or whatever. Also **important** we have never once eaten at Mamma Gina's without spotting at least one A-lister professional tennis player who's also having dinner there. They always eat in the main restaurant, so you may need to poke your head in over there - but MG's is a real hot spot for the players. Some of the players we've seen include Caroline Wozniaki, Fabio Fognini, Diego Schwartzman, Andre Rublev, Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro... and I'm sure more that I can't think of. Pretty cool, right!? </div>
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<b><a href="https://www.talaythairanchomirage.com/">Talay Thai</a></b></div>
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a little ways away in Rancho Mirage</div>
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This place is a short drive north from Palm Desert/ south from Palm Springs. Thai food is always good, and tends to be vegan friendly - but this place is *super* vegan friendly (no fish sauce!), and offers lots of great choices. You know how sometimes when you're traveling, it's hard to get enough vegetables? And you just end up longing for huge bowls of broccoli and kale salad?? Well, this place really hits the spot. The servings are huge, and we were all thinking "we'll eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow" (ha ha ha) and then we proceeded to eat it ALL. I guess we really were hungry, because I didn't even take pictures of the food. But hopefully the picture of a table full of 100% empty plates will show you how great Talay Thai is! A great spot to know about when you're on the road. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpcuCJ5hKcDsdmUAPHjvr18Zzqhjd3ons2oFnvGLwUB_zzwEYeq5uiulJiseDAOtdgWk-2m0So1Gq80uf5vIa0sLes11fzykmY17Zmir9KcUwChYin4sTbN2wIwNIrC3l0HYHcQ/s1600/real+italian+deli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpcuCJ5hKcDsdmUAPHjvr18Zzqhjd3ons2oFnvGLwUB_zzwEYeq5uiulJiseDAOtdgWk-2m0So1Gq80uf5vIa0sLes11fzykmY17Zmir9KcUwChYin4sTbN2wIwNIrC3l0HYHcQ/s640/real+italian+deli.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.therealitaliandeli.com/">Real Italian Deli </a></div>
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Honestly this place is not particularly vegan friendly. Mr. VE&T is (sadly) still not a vegan, and loves to come here to get a sandwich to bring to the tennis. So why I am even telling you about it? Well, in addition to the deli, they also have a great bakery with several vegan breads including some truly dynamite focaccia. They also have a sweet little Italian store with a ton of Italian specialty ingredients. I always love snooping around the shelves and looking for special snacks and treats. </div>
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Honestly, there are a lot more spots in Palm Desert that we haven't explored since we're usually down at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden watching tennis all day and we like to get an early start. There's a good Whole Foods at the North end of town, which we usually end up going to at least once or twice to stock up on various supplies and snacks. There are a handful of other vegan friendly spots that seem to open mid-morning and close by early evening, so we've never made it to those places. </div>
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At the tennis!</div>
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As far as the grounds of the tennis tournament go, you can buy food there or your can bring in your own food. There are actually quite a few appealing or semi-appealing vegan choices, but a simple diet Coke is $5, so that gives you a sense of the premium you'll be paying. </div>
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Since I'm both frugal and particular, I always opt to bring in my own sandwich and loads of snacks. My typical sandwich is baked tofu, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, avocado, and mustard - basic and satisfying! This is the same basic sandwich that my family makes everyday when we go camping in Tuolumne Meadows during the summer - so, although it may sound not too flashy, it has a nourishing and nostalgic place in all our hearts. For other snacks I also always bring some fresh fruit, baby carrots, and a power bar of some sort. Oh, and trail mix! </div>
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They'll make you pour out any drinks before you enter the grounds, so don't bring fancy drinks. Just bring an empty water bottle - there are plenty of places to fill your water bottle once you get inside. Some years it's *really* hot and you need to drink a LOT of water. </div>
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Hey, that's not a tofu sandwich!</div>
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One day we had a tragic mishap and lost our lunch bag! We had all prepared our special tofu sandwiches, and gathered all our various snacks. As we got to the court, we were all sort of scrambling around to find the best seats, someone in our group set our lunch bag down as a way of "claiming" some seats.... all fine and good except that's not where we ended up sitting, and the tactical manouever was forgotten!</div>
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When our tummies started rumbling a couple hours later, panic ensued when we realized that we were missing our lunch! Steps were back-tracked and we still couldn't find our bag or our lunches. So Mr VE&T went and fetched us all some vegan burgers from Cassell's - one of the vendors in the park. I think he was gone for about 1 hour, standing in line, waiting for the food, and then getting back in to the court. That's another good reason to bring your own food! These came with cheese on them, and my aunt and I (she's vegan too) peeled off the cheese and carried on... A burger wasn't our first choice lunch item, but it was better than no lunch at all. Funny enough, we stopped by later to complain about the cheese and found out that it was actually vegan cheese!! We could have enjoyed our cheeseburgers if only we'd known! ha ha.</div>
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After all the matches were over, I said "let's just go check one more time..." and we went to where they had been staking out seats - and now that the crowds were gone - there was our trusty lunch bag with our lunches inside! (It's a nice refrigerated bag, so the food was actually still good inside too!). Hoorah! All the people who had been sitting there said "we were wondering whose bag that was!" Ha ha. All's well that ends well.</div>
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If you enjoy the leisure and expense (ha ha) of dining at the grounds, there are several nice options besides cheese burgers. <a href="https://bnpparibasopen.com/experience/dining/concessions/">Here's a link to all their concessions</a> - though the menus aren't listed, unfortunately.</div>
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I'll give a special mention to PizzaVino - they make a good Baby Kale Salad that's vegan if you get it without cheese, and they also make good pizzas - which you can order with Daiya cheese or cheeseless. Their minestrone is also good and also vegan. </div>
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We really love going to this fun event - so much tennis to watch, great weather, and beautiful desert terrain to explore. If you're ever thinking of going, let me know! </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32492687.post-78718233595258417132019-04-05T15:44:00.000-07:002019-04-05T15:44:16.865-07:00Vegan Shoe Review: Jambu Mango Vegan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Vegan Shoe Review!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw4IsmFhHMaR4Nz7CW-WM7uAvUEWmCTs-524Ru4QOvKe8zJY7tzEMjslX4m4bR2YOZOoZmRoddMpfN4OX1_JvZMfA4qm44kXn1OdGCF-naGIayXNVRFIiRCGPvYch7zZJlpkIlA/s1600/MVIMG_20190308_135852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw4IsmFhHMaR4Nz7CW-WM7uAvUEWmCTs-524Ru4QOvKe8zJY7tzEMjslX4m4bR2YOZOoZmRoddMpfN4OX1_JvZMfA4qm44kXn1OdGCF-naGIayXNVRFIiRCGPvYch7zZJlpkIlA/s640/MVIMG_20190308_135852.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here I am, kicking it in Palm Springs, watching tennis with my fancy new <b>Jambu Mango Vegan </b>shoes on. Last month we went down to Palm Springs for our annual trip to the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament.* I look forward to this desert adventure every year - we usually spend a couple days watching tennis and then leave at least one whole day to explore the desert. </div>
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This year I brought along one of the new pairs of shoes that <b><a href="https://goo.gl/Jfbhnd">Jambu</a></b> had sent me to review - a pair of light sneakers called the <b><a href="https://goo.gl/qUfLvH">Mango Knit Sneaker</a></b>. Jambu makes a good array of styles of <b><a href="https://jambu.com/women/feature/vegan/">vegan shoes for women</a></b> - from kick around sandals to boots to winter shoes to sneakers and more. </div>
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I LOVE these Mango Vegans so much. First of all, I love that the faux leather on the tongue and on the heel are styled in sparkly metallic material. <b>I love sparkly shoes!! </b>While I was sitting watching this match, the lady behind me tapped me on my shoulder and asked what kind of shoes I was wearing because she wanted a pair. That's how cute they are. Of course I told her, and I also gave her my coupon code! ha ha. </div>
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*don't worry dessert fans, I have two more vegan dessert posts coming your way soon!* </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4is7JUZJq4lIWBcRZBJ4LpQ9LZdu7D7NhP8b3AGKuhttobhTJHAPkuc8wgTgrSxeUS-DMJhhyphenhyphenH3Vpip3ouEE15sA4zHeD-vX-z2xIjJM-tY_zzrKNvRxBGvWaGUjovEZMrf0cuA/s1600/MVIMG_20190308_174729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4is7JUZJq4lIWBcRZBJ4LpQ9LZdu7D7NhP8b3AGKuhttobhTJHAPkuc8wgTgrSxeUS-DMJhhyphenhyphenH3Vpip3ouEE15sA4zHeD-vX-z2xIjJM-tY_zzrKNvRxBGvWaGUjovEZMrf0cuA/s640/MVIMG_20190308_174729.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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-- Goofball alert --</div>
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The Indian Wells tournament had this flowery bench set up for selfies, so of course I was all in! </div>
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As you can see I like to wear these shoes with no socks, but they also feel nice with socks. These Mango Vegans are so extremely comfortable. The insoles are made with memory foam, and they feel smooshy and cozy on my feet. The outer part of the shoe is knit, so the shoes are very aerated. I love a good snug fit, and somehow these shoes fit like a sock! There's a great amount of arch support and they feel snug, but not constrictive. I really love them! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlM8PtLggO4cqv3OU5jf9afdmQt4sTfcMUo2N_N_yXGEJvnTce5P3NY58X63Rrg3uL7EJ-yJC85P7TFh3sMHV1nSmDaPtYmv7itkZhq20ycW8_DgX3von0ZLFz1ZGDyufR7uO7cQ/s1600/jambu+mango.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="541" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlM8PtLggO4cqv3OU5jf9afdmQt4sTfcMUo2N_N_yXGEJvnTce5P3NY58X63Rrg3uL7EJ-yJC85P7TFh3sMHV1nSmDaPtYmv7itkZhq20ycW8_DgX3von0ZLFz1ZGDyufR7uO7cQ/s320/jambu+mango.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixel7wrCSsvfm2N80G58oLhgAn2Wxph6JrFpKcycRdQXpjMCnf5GEs5TfBOZH_D_xUukGfpeuqTIBaHD6urZr2tMn0eCIKpeD9vgID7c90lmSxkdNCFUFqupPy9W9sZtKY2RZq_A/s1600/jambu+mango.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1486" data-original-width="1600" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixel7wrCSsvfm2N80G58oLhgAn2Wxph6JrFpKcycRdQXpjMCnf5GEs5TfBOZH_D_xUukGfpeuqTIBaHD6urZr2tMn0eCIKpeD9vgID7c90lmSxkdNCFUFqupPy9W9sZtKY2RZq_A/s640/jambu+mango.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I usually wear a size 9 and these shoes fit me<b> true to size.</b> I love that they're proper lace-up shoes, so I can make them looser if I'm wearing socks and more snug when I'm sock-free. These shoes are definitely warmer than flip flops or sandals, but they're very light and airy and don't feel at all stifling in warm weather. And yet, when we were in the desert, it was actually quite chilly at night and my feet didn't get too cold, as long as I had some socks on. So, the <b><a href="https://goo.gl/qUfLvH">Mango shoes</a></b> are pretty versatile in that regard! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WquVCJUtdZSBATAovGg3ProUfcTgCBAKCWE6TwmtiEoTnybmzooFdTRLlWmwiOj-TNwEN0_jvDUlNyEkf3EUs3UMD2nbKC3ird7T3sYDGa_bmYnm4MQQWSkq-PdZuTmeVZ1A7g/s1600/mango.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WquVCJUtdZSBATAovGg3ProUfcTgCBAKCWE6TwmtiEoTnybmzooFdTRLlWmwiOj-TNwEN0_jvDUlNyEkf3EUs3UMD2nbKC3ird7T3sYDGa_bmYnm4MQQWSkq-PdZuTmeVZ1A7g/s640/mango.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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close-ups!</div>
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The Mangos have some <b>pretty cool styling</b> - a really nice firm support under the arch (which feels really good on my high arches when I'm wearing them), and then a nice springy sneaker soles under the heel and the ball of the foot. The fabric on the main part of the shoe is a sturdy knit, with metallic faux leather on the heel and the tongue of the shoe. </div>
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The <a href="https://goo.gl/qUfLvH">Mango shoes</a> come in <b>two colors: grey/silver and navy</b>. </div>
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I went for navy, obviously, since I am devoted fan of all things blue!! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAI1MMYNEJzFGJd5lgHlu6j4JEhePKuGJ7qyMffcaUs4d4CkzW2SyYCRWwJo6Z8wWHv5A97Ukt1cds9at2o1bwjl4M3yhepvTW96xhJmjY5pEnA0unnWUN2cRSCuOYJuY7SL2Sfg/s1600/MVIMG_20190308_180453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAI1MMYNEJzFGJd5lgHlu6j4JEhePKuGJ7qyMffcaUs4d4CkzW2SyYCRWwJo6Z8wWHv5A97Ukt1cds9at2o1bwjl4M3yhepvTW96xhJmjY5pEnA0unnWUN2cRSCuOYJuY7SL2Sfg/s640/MVIMG_20190308_180453.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When we go to see the tennis we get "grounds passes" and we don't pay the big $$ to see the most famous players on the big main court. Luckily they have a huge screen and lots and lots of Adirondack chairs so that people like us can watch the matches on the screen. It's a really fun scene. This night, we were watching a great match between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka -- so good! </div>
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These Mango sneakers are comfy and knit, but somehow they also manage to look<b> super snazzy and grown-up. </b>I think they are basically Dress Sneakers -- a <b>most welcome</b> new category of footwear in my wardrobe. They're easy to dress up a bit or dress down... with nice pants all the way to yoga tights! I have been wearing them all the time - going out to dinner, heading off to teach yoga, trips to the farmers market, and on and on. So far I haven't found any reason not to wear them!! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimq0FJp95OglwbRvxq2mPnl8DaYEKEVfp2OjzE6ksvn796a3NLYeDfJSWf48oeVUZoWv_2Mw3XT8J6-yDYDtnCBiwMUo1di8RJJjO-vy_u1fhyOc7ESuP-oqWkK2CO-K9aeYC0nw/s1600/jambu+mango+shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="731" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimq0FJp95OglwbRvxq2mPnl8DaYEKEVfp2OjzE6ksvn796a3NLYeDfJSWf48oeVUZoWv_2Mw3XT8J6-yDYDtnCBiwMUo1di8RJJjO-vy_u1fhyOc7ESuP-oqWkK2CO-K9aeYC0nw/s400/jambu+mango+shoes.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">COUPON CODE!</span></div>
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Use the coupon code<span style="color: #741b47;"> </span><b><span style="color: #741b47;">VEGANEATS19</span> to save 20% off any purchase</b> at <b><a href="https://goo.gl/Jfbhnd">Jambu.com</a></b> (good through 6/30/19). Not all Jambu styles are vegan, so make sure you're checking out their <a href="https://goo.gl/vnAxyC">vegan shoes</a>. Let me know if you get some and we can be shoe twinsies!! </div>
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Ameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291071425858947632noreply@blogger.com2