Archive for January, 2009
January 28, 2009
· Filed under Guava Product Reviews, Uncategorized · Tagged Tofur-fail, Tofurkey
So I’ve been meaning to post about this sucker for a while now… no not quite so long ago as Christmas (I got this on sale after the holiday rush was through)… but still… da da da dun… It’s the one and only Tofurkey!!!
Or… Tofur-fail. Wait don’t lynch me yet Vegans! I had every intention of being awed and wowed by this sucker… coming back to you and raving about it’s taste and texture… assuring non-believers that these little roasts were in fact worth ever penny of their exorbitant holiday prices!
No luck. I ate half a slice and just couldn’t do it… I fried some up for a sandwich… ate half of that sandwich and couldn’t do it… the TEXTURE! Ergh… What a bummer… and with such a fun retro-looking package! I honestly tried to devour it on design purposes alone and had every intention of carting that sassy looking box around with me to submit pictures to the Tofurkey Family Album. Alas, I suppose my holidays to come will be Turkey-less and Tofurkey-less… on the other hand Mr. Guava gave it a thumb’s up saying it reminded him of the semi-suspect turkey infamously served in cafeterias world wide… good thing too because I didn’t help much with the finishing off of that sad little oddly textured sphere… poor Mr. Guava whittled away at it for the rest of the week.
Oh well… one less processed product I feel the urge to purchase I suppose…
January 27, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged Crocheting, Garden Scarf, knitting, Stitch 'n Bitch: The Happy Hooker, Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook
That’s right… bitch bitch bitch Guava…
And I have been… about my late nights, early mornings, and lack of time had in the kitchen to be elbow deep in delicious farmer’s market delectables… so what have YOU had time for already Guava??
Well.. since long days have kept me away from the homestead and time at the homestead has consisted of wedding invitations and not enough sleep I’ve had to take my creative de-stress activities on the road… of course there’s always a copy of Bitch in my purse but what to do with my hands???
Stitch ‘n Bitch of Course!
So I was helping one of my amazing co-workers (and knitting circle buddies) find crochet needles on Amazon when a copy of Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Happy Hooker popped up on the screen… “Oohh… I have to get that!” I proclaimed as I’ve been lusting after it since I flipped through a friend’s copy a while back. Enter me coming into work late, groggy, and grouchy after sitting in the doctor’s office for a couple of hours(damn healthcare system… so NOT woman friendly… how am I supposed to tell my girl’s not to be intimidated and go take care of themselves when every experience involving the a doctor and my vagina is vaguely obnoxious… err.. oh right “happy thoughts” I’ll rant about this elsewhere) to find not just this…
but this…
That little scamp had carted the Happy Hooker as soon as I left her office! And when they accidentally sent her two she sent one back and got me Stich ‘n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook as well! After much squealing and hugging I got right in to flipping through and picking out projects! Like so many others before me I couldn’t resist the call of the Garden Scarf (here’s a random pretty Flickr photo that can be found here)…
I’m not gonna lie I’ve also bought yarn for the bikini… khaki and cream… it might not be the most feminist project but I couldn’t resist the lure of it’s sass! I’m so excited I’m already halfway through my scarf! Those darn flowers are so quick and instantly gratifying… that’s my kind of craft! Plus, even for my amateur (very very amateur) pattern reading ability… I’m actually kind of “getting it”!
YAY! Keep your eyes out for lots of Guava doesn’t have time to craft craft projects to come…
January 26, 2009
· Filed under Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks · Tagged Best Guacamole Ever, Rolled Tacos, Vegan Street Cred
OMG!! I’ve had so much success baking lately… and when I say “success baking” I don’t mean anything like Rabbit’s works of culinary and photographic art or Sal’s ridiculously endearing attention to pink starred detail (major kudos ladies)… BUT all has been edible and relatively normally formed! Plus, I’ve been taking measurements/notes even while being quite daring… at least to my non-baker standards. Huzzah! I may just have to give up all other pursuits and open a Vegan Bakery… I’m thinking “Eggless Wonder: Delicious & Cruelty Free” (think Wonderbread Font people). At any rate if I ever have a little time to actually type up my recipes I shall share… but for now… an old standby…
Rolled Tacos
Yep, can’t really go wrong with good old fashioned rolled tacos. You can pretty much put anything in them and pop those puppies in the oven at 375 F for around 20 minutes or so for some crispy, salty and spicy goodness. My favorite filling lately has been a bastardized form of my pristine hash concoction: Some sort of protein “beef” crumbles fried up with potatoes, onions, bell peppers, hot peppers, garlic, ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin and lemon pepper. Plus, these babies are easy to prepare ahead of time in case you need big fiesta like portions to impress non-Vegan relatives… ahem Bethany… ahem. Mr. Guava and I just did a little fiesta this weekend at our Wedding Invitation Work party using this rolled goodness (at which I also served some experimental Guava Tres Leches Sin Leches Cake… mwhahahaha) and it seemed to be a pretty big hit!
And of course no rolled tacos would be complete without…
The Best Guacamole Ever
Okay seriously… I know everyone thinks they’ve had the “Best” Guacamole ever in their lives… but seriously… this is THE BEST! In fact… do I want our family culinary secrets just floating about the internet at the hands of un-appreciative avocado hackers everywhere???Hmm… maybe I shouldn’t… oh but I’m gonna… remember Guava Guacamole lovers…
“with great power comes great responsibility!”
What goes in:
2-3 Cloves of finely minced garlic
1/2 Chopped Onion
1/2 Chopped Tomato
1-2 Kung Pao Chiles/Jalapenos (or more if you like it to burn so good)
3-4 Little Grocery Store Hass’ OR if you can get your hands on them 1-2 giant Reeds chopped(Seriously… these suckers are Uh-MAYzeeing… and could provide guacamole to a small army because of how ginormous they are!)
Squirt with half a lime, sprinkle in some garlic salt and pepper, and to add to the creamy goodness and to prevent from too much browning throw in maybe a tablespoon or so of veganaise.
Mix, Mix, Mix, and prepare to be worshipped by all who dip their chip in your creamy avocadoey goodness.
Of course some soy cream, salsa, vegetarian beans, and some rice isn’t going to hurt your vegan street cred as well!
Happy Monday All Ya’ll!
January 23, 2009
· Filed under Crafts, DIY Wedding, Gardening, Gifts, Recipes, Vague Attempts at Baking, Warm Fuzziness · Tagged cactus, Gardening, herb garden, muffins, succulents, wedding favors
Hi all! I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long… I think I may have to cut my daily blogging down at least for the busy time being… I wish I was more organized so I could tell everyone what days I’ll put something new up but alas… isn’t part of my charm my chaotic disorder?? No? Err…well too bad don’t think there’s any hope of me changing now…
At any rate… how was my 3 day weekend you say? Well… I got a lot done… and that’s all I have to say… I think this griping and complaining may be making me more tired so I’m trying to stop. And it’s true! I did get quite a bit done this weekend and this week… resting not being one of them but still… 
So here’s a little preview of the good things that may come from my productiveness…
- Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffskies! (They’re better than they sound)
Guava did a little baking this past week! I know… “bah.. lies… you’d never have the patience to bake Guava!” I did! I did! And even though Mr. Guava was standing over my shoulder shaking his head disapprovingly at my measuring methods (or lack thereof) I think I did rather well! I figured I had to get going on saving recipes for my “Wedding Favor Cookbook” so I even wrote down some of my non-measurements! Which mean… you might actually get some re-constructable recipes sooner or later.
- Our new herb garden!
Mr. Guava and I also did lots and lots of gardening. One small re-planting project always seems to turn into complete garden re-arrangement… all of a sudden it’s 5pm on Monday night… the suns going down and we have to split our combined forces to finish up what we’re doing and make dinner (what? oh… well spicy curry of course… my damn allergies needed to be cleared up). And while we ended our weekend sun-baked dirty and exhausted our veggies are quite a bit perkier! Thanks goodness too because we were feeling a little sheepish that all the veggies in the Homemade Gardens we gave out for Christmas were doing amazing while our actual garden at home (which we’re attempting to someday subsist on) was sad and wilty.
What else… what else… well Miss Towanda came by to help us with our invites (spaghetti squash in tow…YUM!) . And per the lovely lady’s request we had our version of Yeah, That Vegan Shit’s Tofutti Green Bean Casserole which was a big hit I think right T?? Thanks again Lindy Loo and Lindy Loo’s Mom! And… the really exciting news… Mr. Guava and I found some small 3″ succulent and cactus that we could actually afford for part of our wedding favors! YAY! We’d almost given up on these suckers… look at all the different pretty kinds…
- Cactus… warning… sorting through cactus at Lowe’s… vaguely dangerous.
- Sexy Succulents!
As for the rest of the week lots and lots of VAGINA…
monologues… tehee… a little more secret gift crafting to get me back into the swing of crafty things… and a fun gift (to help with my crafting) which I will post about soon and hopefully make some amazing things out of!
So have a great weekend all! I promise to be around as much as I can muster! One thing about being this busy is… it’s made me realize how much time I really have when I use it all! To productiveness! Or you know… to Guava being a little OCD and neurotic….
January 21, 2009
· Filed under Crafts · Tagged Breaking the Silence, Crafts
Sorry for the silence… just busy but I shall return!!!
**GUAVA attacks all with giant bear hugs & love bites**
Here is Guava if I were the better behaved Japanese girl I should be… tehee… more crafts to come!
January 16, 2009
· Filed under Guavas Taking Action, Sustainability · Tagged It's Friday!, Sustainability, Water Conservation
IT’S FRIDAY!
Thank the Goddess… really wasn’t sure if I was going to make it this week… wait wasn’t I just griping about being tired starting the week?? Damn I’m just one long broken record aren’t I… you’re probably thinking seriously Guava “You want some wine with that cheeZe??”
Well, I’ll have no excuses… at least at the beginning of next week since I’ll have a 3-day weekend… and although I feel a little guilty I’m not taking some sort of Civil Rights stand on Monday I figure I have to take on one cause at a time (and by that I mean no more than 2-3). Hehee.. so I probably won’t be doing much lounging this weekend (how do I end the weekend more tired than when I started… and already feeling like it’s over on Friday morning?) but at least I plan on getting some ’stuff’ done AND at the very least scheduling in some major Dublin/Scooter cuddling time…
So in the spirit of optimism and in the hope of productivity I urge you all not to “Flush Away Your Fridays” …
…by instituting this fun little tip that Mr. Guava saw on Planet Green. And while in an ideal world I’d be building my Geodesic Dome Home, working on getting off the grid, tilling my urban homestead, and tending to my pack of rescued wolfhounds (while running my Craft Empire from my solar powered barn… obviously) for now The Guava’s will just have to make do with doing our little part. The idea here’s pretty easy… if you don’t have a fancy shmancy low flush toilet complete with toilet paper saving bidet you can just fill up a 2-Liter bottle and place it in your tank thus saving 2- Liters of water EVERY time you flush! And, of course, you can… you know… “If it’s yellow let it mellow…”
Happy Friday!
January 15, 2009
· Filed under Breakfast, Crafts, Leftover Remix, Recipes · Tagged Armadillo Poachers, Hawaiian Comfort Food, Leftover, Meatless Hash, Meatless Loaves, Revolution, Vagina Crafts
YAY!! Can I just start off by saying *dramatic sniffle* “You like me… you really like me!!!” Hehee.. but seriously I’m so excited that you all had such a positive response to my craftiness… I had a sneaking suspicion that the whole Crafty, Vegan, Gardening, Sustainability, DIY, Gina Carano for President, GUAVA Rebellions may be all part of the same REVOLUTION! Oddly enough I thought that this blog was going to be about my crafts with a side of Veganism… until it became all about Veganism… and now I think we’re going to work on merging the two! And of course… my Guava’s guava is not to be forgotten… in fact… dadadadun… [[**alert alert... another Crafty Announcement**]] our Producer for Vagina Monologues thought of a great side fundraiser to sell Cast & Crew made artwork at the show!! Which means that (A) I’m going to get even less sleep and will probably have more anxiety nightmares about being disowned by the Chief of my tribe because I couldn’t ride my bike fast enough to protect our sacred armadillo pack from 8 yr old poachers with giant garden shears… haha… figure that out Freud and (B) Crafting and the opening of my ETSY store may actually occur sooner than anticipated… or anyways here’s to hoping. So get ready for some majorly Guava Themed Crafts coming very soon!
And now to the food… inspired not only by Jenn’s Irish Nachos but also her Lusty Looking Leftovers I decided that superficial beauty be damned I was going to share a great Leftover Remix I had the other day with my Meatless Loaves.
So in anyone else’s omni days was anyone a fan of hash?? You know the canned salty meaty potatoey cubed goodness?? Now don’t ask me how I could be finicky about cheap steak and then eat hash and spam for breakfast… again I blame my Hawaiian roots… I know **gag gag** all you vegans out there but while I can’t imagine actually consuming it ever again… spam musubi will always feel like a hug from Mom after a missed basket or lost swim meet and a ukele serenade from Dad. And guess what tastes like a Hawaiian Lullaby friends??? My newest Leftover Remix Creation…
Meatless Hash
But how Guava??? Well, friends it’s pretty complicated gourmet stuff… you see what you do is make & enjoy River’s Meatless Loaves and then the next day when you don’t feel like cooking but have leftover loaves… you chop some potatoes and onions (grill grill grill) then throw in a meatless loaf… break up and (fry fry fry) until crispy salty perfection is reached. Serve Hawaiian style over rice for breakfast preferably with some IZ or Keali’i playing in the background for ambiance. If leftovers result from this pairing… you mix the hash and rice together for your next meal for meaty fried rice. Feel free to contact me with questions/concerns over this complicated recipe.
Thank you, Mahalo, and Aloha,
Guava
January 14, 2009
· Filed under Crafts, Gifts · Tagged Crafts, earring holder, new year's resolution, Pay it Forward
So I realize I do a craft post like once every two months… which make’s Guava kind of sad… but is also pretty indicative of how much crafting I’ve been doing lately (eck… don’t even get me started on how little reading I’ve been doing!). Of course I always have some knitting/crocheting I’m working on and there’s the wedding invitation crafting that has taken over my house… but no good old fashion… making something for no other reason than because I want to and because I can… kind of crafting.
So… my New Year’s resolution (and I have Towanda among others bearing witness to this… please blog readers guilt me into keeping myself on track!)… is that now that we’re through holiday crafting… post-monologues… after the wedding craziness… I vow to really set aside some time each week… hopefully each day for some good old fashioned soul soothing crafting and to the creation and up-keep of my ETSY store! No more side craft projects for others or getting swept up in volunteering for more responsibilities… I have a responsibility to Guava’s need for a creative outlet!
With that said here’s a little teaser of what may be in store for Guava craftiness in the future! I got this idea mulling over things with Towanda (per the usual) and then she made this little doozy of an earring holder. So when my sister in law saw my earring holder, which is a cross-stitch circle with fabric stretched over it, during New Year’s and requested one for her birthday I got to thinking about ways in which I could combine Towanda’s more functional design with some more decorative properties.
Tadaa! Pretty snazzy no? That’s her little darling kitty (now huge cat) Clementine stuck in for a personal touch. I used some extra scrap pieces to make her some matching earrings as well… okay that was just the OCD part of me feeling like aesthetically it would look better when she unwrapped it with those matching earrings dangling there but still… I was pretty happy with them.
I’m working on some different versions of these right now and slowly trying to get back into some of my jewelry making! It’s amazing how therapeutic a successful project can be! If you’re feeling crafty and want to spread the love don’t forget to leave me a comment on my Pay it Forward Post.
Happy Crafty Wednesday Guavas!
January 13, 2009
· Filed under Dinner, Lunch, Recipes · Tagged Chili, Green Bean Casserole, Hot Damn & Hell Yeah Cookbook, I heart Tots, Irish Nachos, Meatless Loaves, Starch City, Tofutti Sour Cream
So the one thing good about being SOOOO busy is I’m almost always the last one home…. which means I walk through the door just as dinner’s being set out on the table! The problem with this is that I don’t get to try out all your wonderful recipes… HOWEVER… as of late… I’ve just been sending links home to Mr. Guava and LIKE MAGIC… I come home and there it is… all the deliciousness I’ve been drooling over off my computer screen in real live edible form!!!
First off… Here are Wing It Vegan’s Meatless Loaves per Rabbit’s suggestion along with Lindy Loo’s Mom’s Green Bean Casserole. Unfortunately, unlike Wing it Vegan’s and Rabbit’s immaculate plates mine aren’t going to win any beauty contests but… we’re all equal in the eyes of my digestive tract… mmmm…
Our loaves were done pretty much straight off the page (Thanks River! I’ll have to visit more often!). For the Green Bean Casserole we made a couple of changes (mostly because the first time I tried this I used a leftover tub of tofutti and didn’t have enough). We split the amount of tofutti with some polenta which was actually really good but I’m sure a full tub would be all the more creamy and decadent! We also added some sauteed mushrooms to the mix and tried it once with green beans and once with asparagus…. in all honesty I don’t think you can really go wrong with green bean casserole… especially if it involves Lindy Loo’s Mom’s amazing Tofutti version! I seriously contemplated making a big vat of it, climbing in, and dying there out of ectasy… maybe next Christmas…
Next up… after seeing Vegan Dance If You Want To’s Irish Nachos I just lost all sense of self-control and e-mailed home demanding that Mr. Guava head straight out to Mother’s to buy Tofutti Sour Cream! I know… I know… why exercise Guava… just sit on the couch watching Dexter/Six Feet Under episodes (seriously… so sad we can’t watch T.V. together Rabbit!)… don’t eat Irish Nachos and break even… bah… common sense is for the weak! I’ll sweat it out later… or be warmer than all you out there without that nice chunky layer of Irish Nacho insulation! Seriously, worth it… Mr. Guava whipped up some fantastic chunky corn bread and chili from the Hot Damn & Hell Yeah Dirty South Vegan Cookbook which we slathered in Tofutti Sour Cream, topped with green onions, and served over rice (it’s a Hawaii thing) with a side of tots. Starch City! And worth every calorie friends!
Mm… go forth into your week and New Year’s Resolutions with wild starchy abandon Guava Lovers… everyone can use some Irish Nachos now and then!
January 12, 2009
· Filed under Dinner, Recipes · Tagged mm... butter, Paula Deen, Vegan Pot Pie
Hey all! Happy Monday!
To tell you the truth I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open… yeah yeah I’m asian and they always sort of look that way but I suspect they’re even smaller than usual today… on the upside I haven’t yet [knocks on wood] gotten sick with my crazy schedule, my newly acquired vegan diet seems to be getting easier and easier, my obnoxiously elaborate invitations are slow but steady and Mr. Guava and I have even managed to get a little exercise in…. waiting for those endorphins… I know they’re going to kick in any min- zzZZZzzZZ…
All in all I really can’t complain. And while I’m exhausted and was extremely grumpy when Mr. Guava woke me up this morning… I have to say I’m pretty proud of how we’re managing to get it all done… then again maybe I’m just too sleepy to get that really productive anxious stressed out feeling… ask me again on Wednesday.
So while my schedule’s packed today and dinner may consist of pita chips and hummus this is what I would like to be eating…
Veggie Pot Pie
Mmm… nothing is quite like a pot pie… warm savory delicious… how can something so bad feel so good… mmm..
The insides are just a mix of the veggies I had around cooked in veggie broth with spices and thickened up a little with corn starch at the end to make them gravy like and the topping…
this is the kicker…. so easy… Bisquick (or in my case generic bisquick) topping! A quick and easy tip from the Queen of Comfort herself Paula Deen. The biscuity goodness was seriously sinful especially with the fresh rosemary I threw in for an added punch. Who knew so much meaty buttery ridiculousness could lead to such vegan scrumptiousness?! Oh Paula Deen, God love her… how she’s still standing upright is beyond me she must have some super artery cleansing power that the rest of us peasants lack… still thanks for the quick pot pie tip… I’m putting this one in the repeat cycle.
