If I were rich…

So I realize I’ve been lacking in the arts and craftiness areas I promised at the outset of this blog and Kate’s review of Knitting for Good really got me thinking about just why we artists, crafters, gardeners, kitchen chefs and DIY’ers, do what we do. We want to carve a little piece of the world out completely of and for ourselves. We want to imbue it with our ideals and hope that it speaks to others. We want to take back our lives from big conglomerates and industries and be actively a part of the Lives that we Live!!! We don’t just want to consume but CREATE!!! We don’t just want to create but THRIVE!! We don’t just want to thrive but FLOURISH! Now I’m still trying to figure out how all of this Flourishing fits into my grown-up schedule but I thought I could at least share some of my favorite, motivating, inspiring, and just damn awe inspiring pieces…

For those of you lurking around ETSY you’ve probably already seen this piece by Goshdarnknit as it was one of the hand picked items, but it just caught me so completely off guard in its scope and concept that I had to give it one more kudos and my Guava seal of approval… if I were rich I would totally get one of these for Kate and Tatiana my knitting inspirations but alas… gotta keep the four-legged spawn fed… here’s to hoping I hit the big one ladies…

How the hell does Vital Wheat Gluten Work or Mushy Black Bean Burgers….

So the illustrious and infamous Towanda came over this weekend for a much needed check-in/kick back and I wanted to wow her with my veggie burgers. I had nearly perfected my vegetarian neat when I decided to work on this vegan business and realized that without that pesky chicken period (referred to as so poignantly by Ms. Treehugger) my damn neat just won’t hold any kind of firmness! It always comes out sort of neat pate-ish. So I trekked my little cookies over to the new Mother’s, attempted to not go broke when confronted with a decadent wall of tofu and vegan spreads, and laid down some cold hard cash on vital wheat gluten. Ah hah… I thought veggie burger nirvana here I come! NEGATIVE GHOSTRIDER. First, (because I’ve never used it before and had no idea what it was like) I thought I could mix it separately and add it into my neat mix… hmm… big gluten like ball that refused to be blended into my beans and onions and such… then I added some straight into my mix using the bean juice to help it meld in… successful with the mixing… but still when it emerged browned and delicious smelling from the oven and subjected to the tooth test… hmph… pate… what’s up??? Anybody have any strengthening and firming tips for me? Suzanne Somers??? Anybody???At any rate lunch was still delicious… it was served up on some focaccia bread with…

Pesto Mayo

Pesto Ingredients + Veganaise

Alongside came some…

Oven Baked Fries

Sliced potatoes seasoned in the oven

As well as some….

Salad w/Fried Tofu

Salad topped with Fried Tofu

Okay… I’m done being obnoxious… here’s a pic… this isn’t actually lunch with Miss Towanda but rather leftover lunch with Mr. Guava… those scalloped potatoes are homemade, but alas, not vegan… hey give me some credit Chicken Period completely expunged from our house!!! Just working on the cow puss cheese and using up what’s left of our Country Crock!

**Also, as a side note… for people that think I made up the word Dookie and that no one else uses it… of course no one else uses it refer to cute compact sized husky little asians [aka me].

Is it Friday yet???