Would Not Have Believed If.....

I would not have believed this had I not heard this for myself. I was in a used book store browsing when this young girl, probably about 9 or 10 years old, passed by me carrying a large load of books. Now I should explain that this bookstore is about half the size of a Starbucks, so you can hear any conversation going on. Her mother and older brother were in the store as well, her mother browsing the romance section and her brother playing a video game rather than looking through the books. Which is fine with me, to each their own.

The girl went up to her mother and started talking about a medical encyclopedia she had found and really wanted. The mother worried that she would not be able to read the book, to which the child disagreed and said if nothing else she would look at the pictures. I was standing there thinking how smart this child was, being so young and having such an eagerness to learn about the medical field.

Her mother finally agreed, then told this child that "I better not catch you reading all the time." Joey had to come and pick my jaw up off of the floor. And she was serious!!! To this day I hope I misheard something in this sad conversation. I am not usually an eavesdropper, but this blew me away. How sad is it when a parent doesn't even encourage a child to read?

Portabella Burgers(Heavenly)

There are no words in any language to describe how incredible this meal was!!!!! Joey was wanting to experiment with portabellas more often, and this was his first attempt. If this is the beginning, I can't wait to see what follows. He grilled them with salt and pepper, put some feta cheese and onions on top(I forgot to tell him to stuff the bottom, not the top) and put it all on a bun. I made some potato salad the night before to eat with this delightful delicacy. The portabellas grilled tasted so...........I can't think of the right word!!! Anyway, this was a great meal that I would highly recommend.

On a side note, I may not be posting much this week. My Mother-in-law somehow broke her back from one side of her pelvis to the other(OUCH) and is having a three hour long surgery Tuesday.

Portabella Fajitas

Sometimes I crave something hot and spicy, (like me!!!!) and these portabella fajitas did the trick. I chopped up lots of bell peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms(I like mixing different types.) and some tomato, added some Mexican seasoning in a big skillet and let them saute while I prepared the portabellas. I drizzled olive oil and some taco seasoning on both sides and broiled them for a few minutes on each side. I spiced up a can of a vegetarian refried beans to eat on the side. Slathered some sour cream on flour tortillas, added some shredded cheese and chowed down. I am going to have to make these more often!

"N" Dumplings

Down here in the South, one of our winter staples is Chicken "N" Dumplings. I always say "and" over "n", but thought "N" would appear more humorous in writing. Now my omni husband prefers his with chicken, so I generally fix him a can(UGH) to go with, fixed up to fit my dumpling flavors. I love the "Not-Chick'n" bouillon cubes by Edward & Sons that you can purchase at Whole Foods. It's the closest I have found to the real thing.

There is something so comforting about a hot bowl of dumplings in extremely cold weather. Here's my recipe:

Broth:
7 cups cold water
3 1/2 Not-Chick'n boulloion cubes
1 1/2 Tbs. of dried parsley
1 Tbs. Garlic powder
1 Tbs. Onion Powder
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste(I use a lot)
3 Tbs. flour mixed with half a cup of water(to thicken broth)



I use a basic biscuit dough for the dumplings, you can use your own recipe or even canned biscuits cut in fours. For the broth, just boil the water, add the seasonings and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Bring to a boil then add the flour/water mixture and allow to thicken. Continue with the rolling boil and drop biscuits into broth, once all your biscuit dough is added, lower heat, cover and cook about ten minutes to ensure dough is cooked thoroughly. Cool slightly and enjoy!

Pita Pizza Craving Satisfied

Thanks to a recent posting over at Vegan Crunk I had to have a pita pizza!! I loaded the whole wheat pita up with a little marinara sauce I had on hand. Loads of fresh mushrooms and onions, then finished it off with Italian cheese mix. Then a made a small salad to go with the pizza and enjoyed every single bite.

I plan on having some new recipes and pics posted this week. It's been chaotic around here!

No Buns

On me yes, in the house, no!!! LOL I had some veggie dogs that I really, really wanted, but no hot dog buns in the house. So, I just made hot dogwiches. Subbing out hamburger buns and cutting the veggie dogs in half. Then I loaded them up with onions and hot dog relish and chowed down. So quick and tasty. And reminiscent of childhood!

Completely Off Subject.

If I was a parent of a child, not adorable furry kids, I would not know whether to laugh or be offended. Seeing as how I am the parent of adorable furry kids, I took no offense and laughed my ass off to find this in a Christmas treat pack. I know what it was supposed to be, but I think they missed something. =)


P.S. I neglected to mention that this was supposed to be a candle in a mixed dog treat bag, someone had some fun.

Not Impressed

Okay, so when we had a cold snap this weekend, I decided it was time for some hot soup. I found a recipe in a magazine from 2006 called:Curried Tomato & White Bean soup. Being in an adventurous mood, I tried it out. It sounded quick and easy and yummy. Boy was I mislead!!! The recipe goes as follows:

1 cup of diced onion

1 Tbs. of vegetable oil

1 Tbs. of curry powder

3/4 tsp. of ginger

2 cans of white beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can undrained diced tomatoes

Croutons for garnish

I followed the recipe of sauteing the onions in the oil(though I used olive rather than veggie) for five minutes, than you add the seasonings, cook for a minute more, than the veggies and let it simmer for fifteen minutes. This soup was AWFUL. Way too much ginger, and very dull. I tried to save it with some salt, garlic and pepper. But could not make it past one bowl. It will be a long time before I even attempt this one(if ever) again.

P.S. Does anyone else have this recipe? My copy has been chewed on and I wanted to know if anyone else knows anything I missed?

Why???

Within the past week, I have watched several TV chefs cook fish for vegetarians. Since when is fish on the vegetarian menu? One chef added fish sauce to a dipping sauce for vegetarian spring rolls!!!! What's going on? This is driving me crazy. I love to watch cooking shows, generally recording them and fast forwarding through the "gross" parts. But I may soon have to take a break if they continue with this.

What Are Your Favorite?

What did you add to your kitchen supplies last year, and what were the favorites?

Over the past year I added: Ove Glove, Pastry Cutter(the fork method grew old), Microplane Grater, Silicone Bake Ware, Dutch Oven, Food Processor, Rice Cooker and a Wok.

My top four are:

1. Ove' Glove:This great item actually lived up to it's reputation. Because of my tremors this is now an invaluable tool. I have less burn marks marring my hands now. Yay!!

2. Microplane Grater: Fresh nutmeg is the shit!! Not to mention the ease of zesting and the flavor of fresh Parmesan.

3. Dutch Oven: I love the ease of stove top to oven, and I have only had it a week.

4. Silicone Bake Ware:I am not sure how they will endure the test of time, but these make baking so much easier and cleaner. Popping right out, baking evenly and easier storage are just a few reasons of why these are so marvelous.

So what are yours?