swedish meatballs

one package of gimme lean beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1 T finely chopped parsley
1/2 t granulated onion
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt
good dose of cracked black pepper
pinch of thyme
pinch of nutmeg
2 T olive oil for frying

for the sauce:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 T sherry
1 1/2 "beef-style" bouillion cubes combined with 3 cups of water
about 1/4 cup of soy milk mixed with 2 1/2 T of corn starch, plus additional soy milk if needed to thin sauce
squeeze of fresh lemon
lots of cracked black pepper
2 T fresh chopped parsley

half pound pasta of choice, cooked according to package instructions. i used whole wheat "egg" noodles.



combine first 10 ingredients and mix until well incorporated & then shape until 12 1-inch balls.

heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. fry meatballs in oil until evenly browned on all sides.

to make sauce:

on medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until soft. add garlic & cook some more. raise the heat & deglaze pan with sherry and allow reduce (about 5 minutes).

add broth and allow to cook. add cornstarch slurry & stir to combine. lower heat and simmer until thickened. add lemon juice, parsley, & pepper.

if necessary, thin out sauce with additional soy milk.

top noodles with meatballs & gravy & enjoy.

baby it's cold outside...

why bother with a blanket of a sweater, when you can use the snuggie? i guess i need to add one more thing to my christmas list.

buy here! act now and get a second one for free(+7.95 per snuggie) plus you get a free book light. whoa!

mmm, sunday brunch.

there is nothing like a hot plate of delicious brunchy goodness to wake you up on a snowy sunday morning. right now it's -5 degrees (feels like -32!), but ryan & i are both full and happy and ready to stay in the rest of the day.

i made biscuits & gravy, (vegan) broccoli quiche, & breakfast potatoes. mm!

happy birthday to... me!

aw, today was the best birthday ever! last night ryan & i stayed up late and i got to open my gifts at midnight!

i opened up some early gifts beforehand, but all together i gotttttt:

lifetime - jersey's best dancers lp
bikini kill - cassette version of the first two records
bikini kill - self titled lp
haveans to betsy - these monsters are real 7"
heavens to betsy - calculated lp
saves the day - through being cool lp
frumpies - frumpies forever 7"
frumpies - babies and bunnies test press!
kung-fu panda & beetlejuice on dvd.
annnnnnnd set of three new dots pyrex mixing bowls, the pièce de résistance of my pyrex collection so to speak!



we had birthday pie at baker's square... and for dinner we had tonsandtonsandtons of sushi!




i had such a wonderful birthday... i'm such a lucky lady, & ryan went above and beyond (per usual!) thanks everyone for the phone calls & birthday wishes!

polaroid saturday

happy birthday beautiful

today...

today i dropped off jess at school for her last finals of the semester and went to my brother and sister in-laws to do some intense cleaning(for a small nominal fee, if interested please contact, hehe...). i cleaned for 6 and a half hours. goodness it was exhausting. but my brother and sister in-law's anniversary is today, so it was worth it.

in two days it will be jess' birthday. she is very excited about her school being over, i think the prospect of presents may have evaded her since she is so relieved right now. but we are excited to have a long weekend together and not have much of any responsibility. we will be going to swordfish for her birthday dinner. we are more than excited about this.

soon it will be a new year filled with things not known. i cannot wait. i also cannot believe how fast this year has went. the first year of jess and i living together. it's been wonderful. more to come.

polaroid saturday

galena in pictures, & more!

i know i'm a little (okay, a lot) late in blogging, but here are some photos from galena!



(note: every time we stay at hawk valley, we take a picture of us jumping on the bad. so silly bed jumping picture #3!)






i've been pretty busy lately... lots of work to do as the semester winds down and when i actually have some time to relax, i take full advantage of it. we've had a wonderful, lazy weekend... i've been cooking and baking and ryan has diligently cleaned up after me.

i made a wonderful leek & potato soup this weekend. simple, but very flavorful and fulfilling.



ingredients:
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, sliced into thin rounds
half a white onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into bit size cubes
vegetable stock (2-3 cups) [** or 2-3 cups of water with one vegetable bouillon cube.]
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/2 t dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
about 1/2 cup of soy milk
salt + pepper

1. saute leeks, onion, & carrots in olive oil until soft & translucent. add garlic and saute for another few minutes.
2. deglaze the pot with a bit of white wine. add potatoes, stock, wine, thyme, and parsley.
3. simmer on low-medium heat until potatoes are cooked through and fork tender.
4. transfer half of the mixture to a blender. add soy milk and blend until smooth and creamy.
5. add the blended mixture back to pot and stir to combine. salt + pepper to taste.
6. garnish with chopped scallion and more parsley.

i used some leftover black bean sauce from the local chinese restaurant to make tonight's dinner. i cheated, but it was still delicious and, not to mention, a lot cheaper than ordering take-out.



yum.

polaroid saturday

polaroid saturday

we are back.

back to the city.

oh it begins.

puzzles and patches

back from our vacation, i felt it necessary to tell why we love gelena, il so much. from what i can tell, most people consider gelena a place for yuppies and middle age folks, and people with families that just need to get away. well i am here to tell you why we like it, and what makes it so special.

two years ago jess and i were looking for a place to get away to. we were not looking for a location, we were looking for a structure, a place, a thing that could house us for a couple days and we could be ourselves. all we wanted was a room with a jacuzzi tub, and a reasonable price. we searched online for hours and we either found extremely over priced hotel suites, or we found super sleazy places. but eventually we found hawk valley retreat.

you may follow the link to find the specifics of what makes it amazing, and i will tell you what makes it amazing for jess and i.

this was our third stay. so if you go some where three times, there must be something that draws you. for jess and i the first thing that drew us there was that hawk valley offers four cottages. each equipped with a kitchenette, a king size bed, heated floors and a jacuzzi. each cottage is set apart from the other and is nestled on a hill in the valley of galena(actually about 10 minutes from the town). aside from the accommodations of the cottage, we have found the personality of hawk valley is what makes it remarkable. the owners, jane and fritz, make this place a home away from home. each morning when you make your way to the main house for breakfast, you are greeted by jane and patches(her 15 year old fluffy female cat), as she takes your coat, you encounter the wondrous smells of a delicious homemade breakfast. during our stay we had german apple pancakes, baked pancakes with fresh strawberries, fresh made pecan sticky buns and many other treats. as we chatted with other guests, we took in the warmth of hawk valley. as you enjoy the meal each nicety and decoration that adorns the main house warms you, jane's ever attentiveness as she refills your beverages without a word, or patches bathing in the morning sun. each morning starts this way when you stay at hawk valley.

we make a habit of going to the local antique shops in wisconsin, iowa and illinios. jess found many pyrex finds, and i was able to get to a record shop in dubuque, iowa. what has always helped us so much is jane's knowledge of the local cities and surrounding area. not to mention the local restaurants in gelena. two(111 main and perry street brasserie)of which made our stay extra amazing.

when we say we are going to gelena, perhaps we should say we are going to hawk valley. because that's where we are going. because if hawk valley was in deluth, minnesota i would be going to deluth, not galena. and if hawk valley was in ottumwa, iowa, we would be going to ottumwa not galena. and what makes any place stand out, is it's warmth and personality. the second time we stayed in hawk valley we noticed a for sale sign out front. we were worried. we were panicked. so as soon as we got a chance, we warned jane, that she cannot sell, because where would we go? she said, someone would buy with the plans of keeping the retreat open. but it would not be the same. i told her this. i remind her of this. in fact when we i talked to her this week i said i was sorry that they were not able to sell, but i was very thankful. and she joked, that it was my fault. but i told her that she and her husband are what makes hawk valley so amazing. she laughed it off, not in contempt, but with humility. and to simply state why hawk valley is so great, let me end with this:

every morning after we had breakfast, jess would join patches on the chair and enjoy the moring sun and i would work on a puzzle. after the third morning, jess remarked to me, "when do you take the time to work on puzzles of sit still for that long?" and she noted how she never takes the time to relax and sit with our own cats for so long. jess and i need a place to give ourselves permission to do nothing, we need to get away from whatever stress and busyness is going on. it helps us so. we need it. so to me, puzzles and patches, however simple they may be, epitomize a perfect vacation.

galena here we come...

we are leaving in two minutes for galena...goodbye cruel world, it's time for a vacation!!!!

polaroid saturday

monday we go on vacation. finally.

pyrex finds from the past few months... & food!

we've had some awesome finds at our local antique/thrift shops the past few months... most of these we've been lucky to find locally, but i do admit to order some from ebay & etsy!







i bought a few individual gratin dishes off etsy and had glorious fantasies about making individual pot pies & the like but i've also seen a few recipes for baked pumpkin pasta floating around, so i decided to take a stab at it. i saw paula dean make hers with butter (of course), sausage, heavy cream, & lots of cheese... and i have been eying the veganomicon pumpkin baked ziti recipe for a while, but wanted something a bit quicker & easier. i also only had rotini, but it ended up working out fine :)



ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat pasta (your choice... i used rotini, but would recommend ziti or penne)
1 recipe tofu ricotta. i use this one as a base, but usually add some soy milk to make it creamy and smooth. here i omitted the basil
1 T extra virgin olive oil
half a large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 can pureed pumpkin
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 t rubbed sage
1/2 t dried thyme
generous pinch of nutmeg

for herbed bread crumbs:
1-1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 t earth balance
generous pinch of sage
salt + pepper

(preheat oven to 375 degrees)

01. cook the pasta! strain it and rinse with cool water BEFORE it's al dente.
02. make tofu ricotta & set it aside.
03. saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized. add garlic & cook some more.
04. add canned pumpkin and cook briefly. add soy milk to make a creamy sauce & season with herbs, nutmeg, salt & pepper. let cook a few minutes longer.

(meanwhile, melt the earth balance in a pan. add breadcrumbs and seasoning and toast until browned.)

05. when pasta is done, toss with the pumpkin sauce off the heat. immediately transfer to a casserole, stir in tofu ricotta, & top with bread crumbs. throw it in the oven and cook until sauce is bubbly & bread crumbs are nice and toasty brown. enjoy!

(also, gratuitous weight loss update: 20.2 lbs down, 10% of the starting body weight. still got some ways to go, but feeling really good.)

polaroid saturday

my artist-friend nathan abels has been busy at work with a new show. one piece he did was a painting of a polaroid i had taken.

here is the original polaroid:


and here is nathan's painting:

"Somnambulism", Acrylic on Canvas, 12x12"

birthday re-cap...

yesterday my birthday happened(as jess' picture post below eludes to), and it was wonderful.

allow me to break-down the day:

6am: got dressed in my birthday dino-bear-suit(DUH!). wake up jess to open up my birthday presents. my birthday presents had accumulated over the last couple weeks and been placed under our stand up lamp. it had been referred to over the last week as the birthdaylamp. here is what i opened:

tristeza : dream signals in full circles
sunny day real estate : pink lp
early day miners - Deep Harbors one-sided 12"
early day miners - Jefferson at Rest LP
joan of arc/bundini brown split LP
onelinedrawing - The Volunteers LP
bright eyes vinyl box set
nick drake box set w/ skin too few documentry
the album leaf - In an Off White Room 10"
elliott smith : pretty ugly before 7"
cool beans zine #4 w/ 7"(mountain goats, three day stubble and biscuit)
hayden : in field & town
rachel's : music for egon schiele
and
david bazan : alone at the microphone dvd
(very very very happy with my presents!)

7:30am: jess and i walk to our favorite diner. got a delicious breakfast, and received a bowl of birthday-fruit for my day from our favorite waitress.

9am: walked jess to work. came home and cataloged my birthday presents. cleaned the apartment. listened to records, watched david bazan dvd.

3pm: pick up jess from school. we go get our eyebrows threaded. then we go to baker square to get my free piece of pie(if you were unaware, baker square gives you a free piece of pie on yr birthday!)

7pm: we meet ryan 2 and his wife abby, and irene at walter payton's roundhouse for a birthday meal. good meal, great company.

i also got numerous phone calls and emails from family and friends which was very nice(especially the one from brayden!). thanks so much to everyone.

dino-bear birthday pictures!

polaroid saturday

my birthday was yesterday. above you see me(about 19 months old)on the right and my brother rubin(about a month and a half) being held by my mother.

Campaign/Barack Obama Art

one clear community that flourished throughout these campaign months is the art world. it has been so fun to see the works of designers and artists making creative and crafty things in the name of politicking, strong beliefs and sarcasm. as jess posted recently, 30 reasons posted a different piece of art that was designed by someone that wanted to convey the message of why someone ought to vote. here are a couple of my favorites from 30 reasons:


and here are a couple more than i found that i enjoy:


(the donuts and bacon is from here, and the OMG is from here.)

there are far more out there, probably far better ones, but those are the ones that have caught me eye.

and here are some flags i painted a year or so ago:

this was amazing. IT STILL is amazing. i'm actually proud of america & to be american, and am so thankful to have gotten to vote in this election. oh goodness!

The 44th President of the United States:

colongratulations to everyone who voted. win or lose, no matter your candidate, it's about being able to exercise the freedom to speak your minds.

amazing.

i can't even think thing straight. i'm about to cry!

please vote tomorrow.

“A woman’s ability to decide how many children to have and when, without interference from the government, is one of the most fundamental rights we possess.” — Barack Obama (Statement submitted to NARAL Pro-Choice America)

We can not forget that it was illegal to have an abortion only 35 years ago. The right to obtain a safe and legal abortion is not a guarantee. Your choice this November 4th will affect the choices of so many others to come. Choose Obama.
Artist

Julia Zimmerman
New York, New York
juliaclaire.org via 30 reasons project.

polaroid saturday

happy birthday sissie.

shots from halloween!