Haha… thought I posted this yesterday… damn… fail.
Hehe… that’s right neener, neener, neener… guess what I got in the mail this weekend???
The new VEGAN ice cream book “LICK IT!” That’s right friends if anyone ever tells you that constant pestering of amazing people in the hopes that some of their sweet cool ice creamy goodness will rub off on you doesn’t work… they’re WRONG… teehee… because I won my free copy from Tami over at the (ever amazing) Vegan Appetite for nothing more than a few pestering, oohing & ahhing, comments about how I have a strong salivating reaction to many of her blog posts! WEEEEEEEE…. (Guava runs around waving new book above head wildly… must be the sugar overdose)….
The recipes look great and I love that Cathe Olson uses Coconut Milk as a base. I also can’t wait to make an Ice Cream Cake!! I don’t have any springform pans… I feel like someone did a post one time with a heart shaped one… hmm… well anyways if anyone sees a Dino-shaped pan let me know and there will be Dino Ice Cream Cakes for the people! Until then I believe my new silicone bakeware from my wedding (ahh… the benefits of registering with the institution….) will do just fine.
Happy Monday! Lots of crafting and restaurant reviewing to come!
Mmm… gotta love some good alliteration… Ha! This blogs really been heading down hill since Vegan MoFo… at least in the food department. It’s not that we haven’t been cooking… on the contrary we’ve been pretty good about not going out more than once a week (including the weekend… I brag as I have plans to go out with work friends for lunch… mm… potato tacos…hehee). It’s just that I feel like I’ve sort of hit my Vegan Stride, so to speak, and with trying to work on my store and get myself in shape I feel like I haven’t really been making anything new and interesting to share in the kitchen.
With that disclaimer… I offer up to you a couple of recent meals that have ties to my little Revolution Manifesto that I went on a crazy tangent with the other day as well as a new food discovery! Enjoy!
First off…
Spinach Curry
Twice a year we have a department luncheon hosted by the Chair of our Department which can be read about here. It’s always a treat and, especially with the current tension of the economy, is a great time to come together as a community rather than just co-workers. The food, home cooked, is always delicious and we always end up stumbling back to the office in somewhat of a food coma induced stupor. Since going vegan the hosts have been thoughtful enough to make sure there are always dishes I can partake in and even put labels out so we can easily discern what’s in everything. I always feel so grateful as to thought and care that is put into everything! Mr. Guava and I veganized a favorite Spinach Curry recipe by substituting in soy yogurt. We also added tofu for protein and opted to just wilt and not blend our spinach. It was delicious! We’ve already made it twice and have leftovers in the freezer for a rainy day… which really could be any day this June!
Next up…
Cavatappi Marinara
Just your basic homemade spaghetti sauce over cavatappi noodles. For some reason I feel like any sauce I put over cavatappi just makes it a little more fancy shmancy. Now how does Cavatappi inspire community Guava (and just because you feel fancy isn’t an answer)? Well, friends I’ll tell you! Mr. Guava and I were inspired to break out the tomatoes and basil and make this little doozy after a great weekend outting with some friends who wanted to get healthy! We all went to Farmer’s Market to pick out some great fresh local ingredients and then cooked up a big vat of sauce that could be split up and chucked in the freezer for quick meals. It was so much fun to shop and cook together! And while not all vegan, we talked a lot about the great health benefits of Veganism and I think it inspired a lot of great question asking. I felt like it was such a positive start!
And finally…
Couscous
So this last one was just a discovery but I do love discoveries… especially food discoveries! Mr. Guava and I get so excited we sometimes feel a wee bit obsessed but I think that’s how it should be. Why chow something down that you’re not excited about? I think about all the wasted meals just to get by and get on with the rest of my day that I’ve had in the past and kind of cringe. Well, no more wasted meals I say!! Savor Savor SAVOR! At any rate, this is just the standard ever famous Chickpea Patty with COUSCOUS. For some reason Mr. Guava and I have been hesitant to make couscous because of a bad extremely dry couscous experience from the past, but this was delicious… a little earth balance some lemon pepper and italian herb mix… nom Nom NOM… how did we miss out on this stuff for so long???
Sorry, all that post seemed a little out of character for me… I think I may have worked out all my silly snarkiness with the swim I did last night but I do hope you enjoy the pics and go forth to eat great meals with friends and family!
Man, I ‘ve never felt so out of place in the water… haha… guess that’s what happens when you stop working out for half a decade…
Is it that time again? Don’t get me wrong… I’m not complaining. I love Wednesdays! Well, I love blog Wednesdays… middle of the work weeks can be disheartening. “Eh” I say to the my work week and “YEAY!” I say to Work in Progress Wednesday! Here’s what Guava cooked up this week…
It’s not as short as it looks! I swear (I mean it is short…) but not that short I promise! It was just I wasn’t very photogenic this morning and that was the only angle I could tolerate (Gah, I’m vain… hehee… *sheepish look*). I swear no Guavas were exposed during the shoot, I wore this to a family dinner with a little cardigan, and I did mean it to be short and poofy (not quite as short as it turned out… but still). When I worked retail I used to love/cringe/chortle incredulously when women would come out of the dressing rooms in tunic tops… “This could very easily be a dress right?” Uhh… errr… “Yeah absolutely with an extra 10 inches of fabric!”
Teehee… another Guava Original… I actually also meant it to be more “vintagey” 40’s than it came out… although I do kind of think I’m rocking the 80’s vibe, it looks great with my cardigan, and I think it’ll be super cute with tights in the Fall! I put in a sweetheart top…
and lined the top of the inside with the same fabric. I also (never been patient enough to do this before with such a hodge podge floral print) took the time to cut my pattern so the print was all the same direction. I figured it would be a close call as to whether or not you could tell but decided not to take my chances. I also think I did a lot better on the zipper with a little tip from my sewing guru. I basted the side where I was going to sew my zipper together first then sewed the zipper on and seam ripped my stitches out to open it up. Unfortunately, I think I gave it too much space and because I couldn’t find an invisible zipper in the length I wanted I felt like the wings that were left to cover the zipper were too much. Since it’s on the side hidden under my arm I decided to sew them back on the sides. Sure you can see it when you look at it but I think it makes the silhouette a little cleaner. Here’s a pic of the back…
See told you it wasn’t that short! All in all pretty happy with it… think now I really have to stop buying fabric and get to the upcycling. I did attempt one other thing… a top… massive boxy fail… but my form was shipped yesterday so I think I’ll have a little more luck with learning about how to shape armholes and what not… this new pattern that BurdaStyle has made me toss around an idea for upcycling some of Mr. Guava’s old plaid shirts… will keep you posted!
Do you ever have one of those moments… between all the ridiculous, misogynistic, hateful crap that goes on this world when you get this innate glimmer that reminds you just how “okay” people can be? Do you ever get the smallest glimpse into the possibility of a conscious future? The vaguest hope that if this caught on well… we just might make it?
Well, that’s exactly the feeling you get when you dine at the Green’s Cafe there’s not a lot of pomp but there’s TONS of personality. When we went in we were greeted and served by the owner himself who talked to us, not only enthusiastically about his menu, but passionately about his politics.
Over a delicious appetizer of Crispy Stix…
To our incredible entrees… Happy BBQ Sandwich and….
and Orange Tender of Joy…
we discussed the Green’s Cafe Vegan Organic Philosophy and the fierce purpose behind their incredible menu. Everything was wonderful including our Vegan Ice Cream Sundae for dessert…
and the more we talked the more it became clear what an important role in Vegan Activism that places like the Green’s Cafe plays. It reminds us what food should really be about… what eating really is… it should be a celebration and a community builder! It should be both a conscious consumption choice as well as a completely natural instinctual experience for our senses. It should fuel our bodies with energy for action and fuel our hearts with inspiration and hope!
I joke constantly about “the empire” but visiting this space was truly inspiring and a good reminder of what I really want my “empire” to be about. I’ve always said that what I want is a space. A safe space. A space for activism but, maybe even more so, for community. Now whether that space will ever be actual brick and mortar remains to be seen as well as decided on but I know now that is definitely the path I want to set myself on.
I’m a big believer that while “active” activism is important so is it’s quieter cousin consciousness raising. And the more I learn about people the more I realize that just like in most cases when it comes to conscious eating… and ultimately conscious living… people do better when led instead of pushed.
I have plenty of bones to pick with the state of the world and I’m sure all of you have run into your share of brick walls but what a novel idea that we can change the world through positivity and celebration! That the revolution can grow in our backyards and stage protests on our dinner table! That in the same way we choose to cleanse our bodies of impurities and violence we can, too, purify our movement of negativity!
As usual, I know I’m preaching to the choir… (and can Guava just add what a wonderfully choreographed and well tuned choir you are??) and perhaps this is old news. In fact I’m sure it is because these are the communities that are growing and celebrating everyday amongst all of your wonderful blogs! However, as this hit me recently in a powerful way I thought it couldn’t hurt to voice this looking out from a Tuesday morning at the rest of our (sometimes very long) work weeks! Just some thoughts that have been floating around the Guava household lately and that we’re working on truly embodying and which you may see in slight changes around Guava Blogland as well.
Seriously, what’s with this weather?? Now I’m generally a Fall person but when you’re trying to plan summery type weekend activities and then you get up to a drizzle…well… let’s just say that sort of weather can really put a damper on things (pun intended)! Bah.. well at least my “crops” (read: my sad few new container sproutings) are enjoying the alternating hot/cool weather.
Hmm.. so what does one cook in this odd weather??? Well, here’s some faux fall weather treats along with true blue summery goodness… weirdly with the odd gloom all in rotation the same week!
So last week after a conversation about the wonders of freezing I dug into the depths of my chilly great beyond to see what I could come up with. Tadaa…
Haha… okay I didn’t pull out a soup bowl but what I did pull out was some leftover red vegetable soup. To this I added some extra white beans and sprinkled in some quinoa for heartiness then decided I really needed to use up some plain yogurt I had in the fridge. Upon adding it though things became a lot sweeter than intended… almost corn chowdery. Minutes before Mr. Guava walked in the door… with me fearing soup confusion disaster… epiphany hit… I threw in some nooch and nuked the last of some broccoli crowns in the fridge and tadaa…. accidental Broccoli & Cheddar!! What really kicked this up a notch was after cutting off the top of the bowls and taking out some of the center I sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with garlic salt, and toasted in the oven before serving the soup into them. Mmm… hope the summer weather hits soon before we crave this again or I’ll look like a little garlic toasted soup bowl this summer at the beach!
Next up some summery goodness that can also make you round…
Mm… Homemade Cake and Homemade Ice Cream!!! There have so many ice cream recipes floating about lately that we had to try our hand at some. We used Coconut Milk and Mimi Creme. Have you guys used this stuff yet? It’s pretty thick and fantastic! Now we’ve yet to come up with a recipe that actually firms up in our Ice Cream maker but the great thing about the coconut milk and the mimi creme is it never really seems to get rock solid so we just pop it in the freezer and continue to mix as it hardens up. We’ve been meaning to try new flavors but have kind of been stuck on Mint n’ Chip… nomNom NOM… and get this… that cake up there… GUAVA (not Mr. Guava) baked it!!!
A double batch of VCTOTW Golden Vanilla Cupcakes and a batch of VCTOTW Buttercream frosting (subbed all Crisco to save money on expensive Earth Balance… okay but vaguely oily… which saves money on applying chapstick post desserting… hehe). And look… two layers…
I know nothing compared with some of the masterpieces ya’ll are known to come up with but… I followed ALL the measurements!
In further Summery Debauchery we tried this RAD onion ring recipe courtesy of this RAD blogger’s recommendation. Seriously, stop whatever silly summer dieting you’re doing THIS second and make these… your life will be far from complete without them…
We also dipped/fried some yellow saffron squash in the batter… YUMMO and served it up with this Soy Bean Burger recipe we found on a can of Soybeans we found at Mother’s! That’s right a can! Is this cool to anyone else?? Okay.. just me… they were delish but didn’t hold together at all so were kind of a mess and you had to continually shape them while frying. As a sidenote the Mother’s in Irvine… not as obnoxious as expected in fact vaguely “Down to Earth” like. Served all this up with salad topped with La Dolce Vegan’s Cool Cucumber Salad (to which I added asparagus). I loved it/Mr. Guava says “eh.”
Of course no meal in which onion rings are included would be complete without a little cerveza and feeling just a wee bit sentimental and longing for our days on the North Shore we chose to wash down date night dinner with this…
Not bad. When I see wheat I always think of a cloudy Hefeweizen which it wasn’t really like.. mostly clear. Sort of reminds me of the Karl Strauss Hefe that has this banana kick at the end but this had passion fruit. Not bad at all… perfect with onion rings… and the cap comes with fun Hawaiian phrases.
For further quick and dirty summer indulgences I finally picked up some Crescent Rolls and per a reminder from SDCat have decided to finally try my hand at Centrepullball’s Decadent Looking Taco Ring!
Whew… that was a lot of guilty pleasure in one post. Just do what I do and start tanning now so that even if round for the summer you can also be a nice “taco ring” golden brown. Heehee… I swear there are less likely to give you heart attack posts to come… but who needs denial on a Monday morning???
Here’s to making it through another week **raises bottle of Wailua Ale**
Here we are again Crafters, Vegans, Revolutionaries… another Work in Progress Wednesday!! What sort of magic are you all cookin’ up with your dexterous little fingers this week?? Well, I’ll tell you the Guava Cottage has been buzzing with activity of all kinds! I went from a sort of Crafty Funk to an overload with way more ideas than I actually have time to work on (not that I’m complaining). I don’t know how it is for all of you but I’m the exact same way with cooking. I’ll miss a couple meals or throw “meh” stuff together and with each one I’m less and less interested with setting foot into my kitchen but if I force my self to take on a couple feasts all of a sudden I get swept up in the excitement, find/think of recipes everywhere, and am then standing in front of my stove frustrated because I can’t decide what to make first! Hehee… I guess I only run on two speeds: lethargic and turbo. At any rate here’s a couple of projects from this past week…
Sassy no? And “2 Hours” I’m sold! Well, the 2 hours part was true… and actually my tank did look a lot like this. The pattern is pretty simple as you just make two matching pieces and sew them together. I did choose to make the back higher because I thought I might add a hood or a cowl neck after I finished. I didn’t use the biggest “Speed” hook but just made sure the width was right. And I obviously used Acrylic instead of Wool. On a side note I really like there “Jiffy” yarn. It’s a little fuzzier and richer looking for projects where you want that “wool-like” texture but I’ve also been finding it on sale for $2 a pop… and it’s not wool (I don’t know much about the wool industry but for now I’m sort of steering clear… any fiber crafty vegans out there have a say on this?). Anyway, here’s what I got…
Innocent looking enough isn’t it? Shapely neckline. Good rise in the back if I do say so myself. Except if you’ll notice I’m not in the picture (a) because I thought I was going to faint of heat exhaustion and (b) because I looked like a Wildebeast! Seriously, just how tiny is that Lion’s Brand model in real life??? Hmm… well I guess it’s not really going to work for a summer vest with a tank I’ll probably keep it around to winter and see if I can pull it off with long sleeves. A little disgusted with this project so we’ll see if it ever actually gets a hood or cowl neck.
and the back… Mr. Guava (in an effort to get me out of the house on time) failed to mention that I’m the headless horseman…
And I don’t think the back is cut crooked… but that I’m standing crooked. My seams on the other hand are definitely crooked especially my zipper… sort of swerves forward. All in all I’m pretty happy with it for a first go around at my own pattern! I’m actually really happy with how the skirt came out. The perfect amount of poof I think. If I had thought about it earlier I definitely would have made the bottom a bubble and added pockets but… you live you learn. Now I just have to order my dress form!
So the weather’s been weird lately. I mean going to school in San Diego made me pretty used to June Gloom but the “Gloom” tended to be sporadic. This June the Sun’s been sporadic! Some afternoons it does brighten up and the cool breeze makes for a gorgeous afternoon but it sort of kills weekend activity as you’re never really sure how the days going to shape up. (Watch in a couple of weeks I’ll be complaining about the oppressive heat! Hehe… ) At any rate this weird June weather has been wreaking havoc on my dinner cravings! Leading to none other than a double pot pie week!
First off…
Sweet Corn Southwest Pot Pie
As I’ve been plodding through La Dolce Vegan (and I’ve actually been following recipes!) all the bakes/casseroles have of course been on my list! The only problem with the Southwest Corn Casserole (which seems sort of like a snazzed up tofu cornbread) was that I felt like it wasn’t really a full dinner type recipe. Harumph. It’s a casserole! I have to make something else for the main? Hmm… This didn’t sit well with Guava at all…. not one bit! So what I did was I made a black bean chili to go under the casserole… tadaa… a Southwest Pot Pie!
Crust:La Dolce Vegan Southwest Corn Casserole (Added a few chopped green onions)
Fillin’:Guava’s Bangin’ Black Bean Speed Chili
Saute 1 Chopped Onion and 3 Cloves of Chopped Garlic until nearly transluscent.
Add in one chopped yellow saffron squash (zuke’s would no doubt be delicious and fast cookin’ as well) and toss with onions and garlic for maybe a minute or so.
When veggies are nearly done throw in a can of black beans lightly drained (a little liquid is good for the gravy) and 3-4 small chopped tomatoes (add tomatoes at your discretion the ones off my plant have been kind of tiny).
Season with garlic salt, lemon pepper, ancho chili powder, and cumin to taste. I also threw in some cayenne for heat but this is totally optional!
Spray a dish, put in your chili, and spread Corn Casserole Crust over the top and bake! Sweet Corn Southwest Pot Pie!
Next Up…
Portobello Pot Pie
I also gleaned this recipe off of La Dolce Vegan and followed it almost exactly. We didn’t have portobellos but we did have mushrooms on their last leg and I subbed Crisco in for the butter… just as delicious. The other change I made was that the recipe calls for only enough crust to cover your filling and being over-zealous I decided this was going to be a “real” pot pie so I made one and a half times the crust recipe deciding I would also make a crust for the veggies to sit in. I pressed the crust into the bottom and baked for 5-7 minutes before adding in the veggies and the top crust layer. The crust didn’t quite come out as I expected but wasn’t bad. It was hard to get it to stick together and get it from where I was rolling it out to the actual “pie.” Mostly I just pieced it together when I got it there. My idea to add a bottom layer, however, was a bit of an overkill. If you make this I recommend that you follow directions (not that any of you wouldn’t… Guava kicks ground sheepishly…) and stick to just the top layer. The crust to veggie ratio was definitely not the best.
Here it is served up. Clearly it didn’t stay in “pie” form anyways!
I also made some beans to go with it.
Guava’s Southern Fried Chinese Long Beans
Okay I just sauteed these up in a pan that I had used to make tofu bacon in. I also added some fresh chopped garlic, lemon pepper, broth, and more bacon salt to the mix. I have no idea if this is “Southern” but as this is as close as Guava will ever get to cookin’ somethin’ in BACON GREASE and something about the contrast of “Southern” inspired cooking with my Chinese Long Beans just tickled me pink I will continue to call them this. And you know what else tickles me pink… the weird and ridiculous world of food tattoos… oh Paula Deen…
Too bad “Earth Balance Ya’ll” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Seriously is it MONDAY already?? How did that happen?
Well, at least we have the Bangles to get us through… ahhh where to start… where to start… umm… how about with the ever important weekend brunch special…
Mmm… check out that Tofu Bacon!!! Courtesty of a suggestion from Vegan Dance if You Want To Guava scampered out to the store to procure her own bacon salt. I’ve been sort of sprinkling it here and there not wanting to go overboard with it but didn’t actually get the chance to really break it out until this weekend. I have to say it was pretty tasty although we could have crisped up our tofu a little more. It did feel like a complete meal though… something sweet… something salty… potatoes… I’m a fan but maybe not as much as this guy…
Yikes! That’s dedication to food right there! At any rate Mr. Guava and I opted not to emblazon a symbol of the new addition to our spice cabinet on our bodies but did decide to engage in just a little debauchery… mmm…
What you see before you is a fresh from Farmer’s Market Blood Orange Mimosa!! Yow YOW!! This sucker was fantastic!! The brain child of an un-opened champagne bottle taking space up in our fridge since… hmm… when was the last Guava party??? And some fruits that needed to be consumed straight away! Now the only problem with Mimosa-ing for two is that there’s really no two person sized champagne bottle… but if you spread out your spritzer’s throughout the day… breakfast… dog walking… afternoon porch sitting… and you’re really diligent you can make a pretty good dent in a weekend.
Hmm… I know there was other debauchery that went on but… I suppose Bangles & Bacon Salt Tattoos are enough excitement for now.
Mmm… sometimes when you’re busy and need something to calm, warm and get you going all at the same time you just need to get back to the basics! For me one of my favorite go to dishes is CURRY… and it has seen many incarnations here on For the Love of Guava. Yep! Curry’s one of those all time great one pot wonders… no recipe needed… no hardline ingredient list…. can be made easily in massive quantities… super kick you in the ass spicy to lull you to sleep mild… tastes great as a leftovers… a little different everytime but always… mmm… always wonderful… [Guava holds up finger... give me a second]…
yep now that I think about it I may have a disportionate and vaguely innappropriate place in my heart for Curry… **SIGHS Longingly**
… in fact I’m absolutely sure I do…
[harumph] Judge me if you will, I’m not afraid to say it, “I’m Guava and I’m addicted to CURRY…. c-c-c-c-C-C-C- CURRY!!!”
Also, I like to dance around and sing c-c-c-c-C-C-C- Curry! Everytime, I make c-c-c-c-C-C-C-Curry… which means it’s just a damn fun meal all the way around! Here’s the latest incarnation…
What you see on top is nooched Fu! I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before but Mr. Guava seriously makes the best damn tofu I’ve ever tasted…. damn tasty if you ask me… also as a sidenote “damn” is apparently my new favorite way to add emphasis to my descriptions… but I digress. So what makes this curry so damn special??? Aside from the list above about how EVERY curry is special I attribute this one’s supreme sauciness to two major things.
1) When I go to make my sauce I usually try to practice restraint with the coconut milk and use half a can. Furthermore, I tend to make thick chili-ish curry rather than the soupy type (a damned good way to make curry) but to switch things up this time we threw in the whole can of coconut milk thinning everything out just a bit! WHEW!! The smell of warm spicy curried coconut milk started to drift through the house immediately warming my soul… and damn… when the warmth hit the tastebuds and the belly it was over! So delicious! It was also during these first couple bites that I realized something horrifying… we’ve made lots of curry and lots of peanut stir fry but have never attempted a spicy peanut curry!!! WHY oh WHY??? Will keep you updated on this.
2) Have you guys had Amaranth Berries??? A friend brought me back some from Willy Street Coop in Madison, WI. This stuff is ridiculous. I can’t even begin to explain how this stuff works Quinoa over and calls it a chump! Amazing (and amazingly good for you) on it’s own but my new favorite way to eat it is to throw in an extra 1/2 of a cup in with whatever grain I’m cooking. Now I’m a recovering white rice-aholic so trying other grains has really broadened my horizons but nothing’s ever truly replaced good ol’ Calrose in my book, but adding in Amaranth Berries to my grains (especially short grain brown rice) makes me forget all about those perfect little ice cream scoops of white rice on a plate lunch plate. They have a definite flavor, lend a little stickiness to dryer grains, and have a lot of damn good nutritional qualities! I say venture forth into your coops, (eck) Whole Foods, Mother’s, or other natural grocers and try and find this stuff! You won’t be disappointed!
Have a Damn Good Thursday!
Love,
**Guava’s mouth is currently too full of damn good c-c-c-c-C-C-C-Curry, Nooched Fu, Rice, and Amaranth Berries to sign off**
YAY!!! It’s that time of week again!!! WIP Wednesday!!! *Guava does happy dance* Now, I have to admit that my volume of crafting hasn’t been at the level that it needs to get to for empire creation but still production is on an upward swing. Furthermore, I’ve been working on other Works in Progress like this…
Mwahahaha… okay Guava isn’t quite “Pumping the Iron” in this sense but I have been trying to get a little physical activity in everyday. The last few years have been kind of bleh in this department what with bad jobs and other stresses so I figured getting the heart rate goin’ a little and into a regular schedule could only help with my productivity. It’s been quite an exciting rollercoaster realizing what I actually can do if I put my mind to it and also what my limits are after not working out for a decade. Hehee… both motivating and humbling experiences. Plus, it’s always a test of my coordination trying to jog with Dublin and Scooter (one in each hand, at two different speeds) without tripping and eating it on the sidewalk as people “ooh and ahh” over them (Scooter attempting to attack other four legged brethern and Dub trying desperately to hide behind my legs from high pitched women and children reaching out to pet him). Definitely, a work in progress.
In the actual crafting area… da da da dun…. Guava drafted her first pattern!!! A simple little summer dress… fit for picnicking… farmer marketing… or you know chores about the prairie…
Not quite done. I was going really strong this weekend and thought I was going to finish but I got over zealous in the “finishing” department and finished things that weren’t quite fitted right before checking…. and in an un-characteristic of my crafting style moment finished things extremely well (haha… oh the irony). Hours of seam ripping work later I’ve finally gotten my zipper seam out and am ready to finish again correctly and do my bottom hem. Errr… lesson learned. I’ll post pictures of the actual fit when I’m done. I’m still trying to decide if I want to do something sassy like a hood or ruffled collar. Hmm.. may just keep this first project simple. I’m actually pretty impressed with it all… ahhh the wonderful world of on-line video tutorials.
I’m also planning on digging out the bags of clothes I never wear but couldn’t bear to throw away… upcycling is definitely in their future! Gah… [gasp... surprised snort...] I just realized my sewing maching doesn’t have a name?!?! Hmm… that must be rectified… any ideas?
And last but not least my cooking “Work in Progress” is to make a conscious attempt to actually use all the amazing cookbooks I’ve received as of late. That means actually gathering ingredients and following directions… I failed on these Dino Muffins and couldn’t resist throwing in what I had willy nilly in a fresh baked goods craving moment but… look how cute they are?!!
I can’t imagine anything bad ever coming out of my Dino Muffin tin… and you know what?? Nothing ever has!
The new VEGAN ice cream book “LICK IT!” That’s right friends if anyone ever tells you that constant pestering of amazing people in the hopes that some of their sweet cool ice creamy goodness will rub off on you doesn’t work… they’re WRONG… teehee… because I won my free copy from Tami over at the (ever amazing) Vegan Appetite for nothing more than a few pestering, oohing & ahhing, comments about how I have a strong salivating reaction to many of her blog posts! WEEEEEEEE…. (Guava runs around waving new book above head wildly… must be the sugar overdose)….
It’s not as short as it looks! I swear (I mean it is short…) but not that short I promise! It was just I wasn’t very photogenic this morning and that was the only angle I could tolerate (Gah, I’m vain… hehee… *sheepish look*). I swear no Guavas were exposed during the shoot, I wore this to a family dinner with a little cardigan, and I did mean it to be short and poofy (not quite as short as it turned out… but still). When I worked retail I used to love/cringe/chortle incredulously when women would come out of the dressing rooms in tunic tops… “This could very easily be a dress right?” Uhh… errr… “Yeah absolutely with an extra 10 inches of fabric!”
and lined the top of the inside with the same fabric. I also (never been patient enough to do this before with such a hodge podge floral print) took the time to cut my pattern so the print was all the same direction. I figured it would be a close call as to whether or not you could tell but decided not to take my chances. I also think I did a lot better on the zipper with a little tip from my 
I basted the side where I was going to sew my zipper together first then sewed the zipper on and seam ripped my stitches out to open it up. Unfortunately, I think I gave it too much space and because I couldn’t find an invisible zipper in the length I wanted I felt like the wings that were left to cover the zipper were too much. Since it’s on the side hidden under my arm I decided to sew them back on the sides. Sure you can see it when you look at it but I think it makes the silhouette a little cleaner. Here’s a pic of the back…
See told you it wasn’t that short! All in all pretty happy with it… think now I really have to stop buying fabric and get to the upcycling. I did attempt one other thing… a top… massive boxy fail… but my form was shipped yesterday so I think I’ll have a little more luck with learning about how to shape armholes and what not… this new 
To our incredible entrees… Happy BBQ Sandwich and….
and Orange Tender of Joy…
we discussed the Green’s Cafe Vegan Organic Philosophy and the fierce purpose behind their incredible menu. Everything was wonderful including our Vegan Ice Cream Sundae for dessert…
and the more we talked the more it became clear what an important role in Vegan Activism that places like the Green’s Cafe plays. It reminds us what food should really be about… what eating really is… it should be a celebration and a community builder! It should be both a conscious consumption choice as well as a completely natural instinctual experience for our senses. It should fuel our bodies with energy for action and fuel our hearts with inspiration and hope!
Haha… okay I didn’t pull out a soup bowl but what I did pull out was some leftover red vegetable soup. To this I added some extra white beans and sprinkled in some quinoa for heartiness then decided I really needed to use up some plain yogurt I had in the fridge. Upon adding it though things became a lot sweeter than intended… almost corn chowdery. Minutes before Mr. Guava walked in the door… with me fearing soup confusion disaster… epiphany hit… I threw in some nooch and nuked the last of some broccoli crowns in the fridge and tadaa…. accidental Broccoli & Cheddar!! What really kicked this up a notch was after cutting off the top of the bowls and taking out some of the center I sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with garlic salt, and toasted in the oven before serving the soup into them. Mmm… hope the summer weather hits soon before we crave this again or I’ll look like a little garlic toasted soup bowl this summer at the beach!
Mm… Homemade Cake and Homemade Ice Cream!!! There have so many ice cream recipes floating about lately that we had to try our hand at some. We used Coconut Milk and 
A double batch of VCTOTW Golden Vanilla Cupcakes and a batch of VCTOTW Buttercream frosting (subbed all Crisco to save money on expensive Earth Balance… okay but vaguely oily… which saves money on applying chapstick post desserting… hehe). And look… two layers…
I know nothing compared with some of the masterpieces ya’ll are known to come up with but… I followed ALL the measurements!
We also dipped/fried some yellow saffron squash in the batter… YUMMO and served it up with this Soy Bean Burger recipe we found on a can of Soybeans we found at Mother’s! That’s right a can! Is this cool to anyone else?? Okay.. just me… they were delish but didn’t hold together at all so were kind of a mess and you had to continually shape them while frying. As a sidenote the Mother’s in Irvine… not as obnoxious as expected in fact vaguely 
Of course no meal in which onion rings are included would be complete without a little cerveza and feeling just a wee bit sentimental and longing for our days on the North Shore we chose to wash down date night dinner with this…
Not bad. When I see wheat I always think of a cloudy Hefeweizen which it wasn’t really like.. mostly clear. Sort of reminds me of the 
Sassy no? And “2 Hours” I’m sold! Well, the 2 hours part was true… and actually my tank did look a lot like this. The pattern is pretty simple as you just make two matching pieces and sew them together. I did choose to make the back higher because I thought I might add a hood or a cowl neck after I finished. I didn’t use the biggest “Speed” hook but just made sure the width was right. And I obviously used Acrylic instead of Wool. On a side note I really like there “Jiffy” yarn. It’s a little fuzzier and richer looking for projects where you want that “wool-like” texture but I’ve also been finding it on sale for $2 a pop… and it’s not wool (I don’t know much about the wool industry but for now I’m sort of steering clear… any fiber crafty vegans out there have a say on this?). Anyway, here’s what I got…
Innocent looking enough isn’t it? Shapely neckline. Good rise in the back if I do say so myself. Except if you’ll notice I’m not in the picture (a) because I thought I was going to faint of heat exhaustion and (b) because I looked like a Wildebeast! Seriously, just how tiny is that Lion’s Brand model in real life??? Hmm… well I guess it’s not really going to work for a summer vest with a tank I’ll probably keep it around to winter and see if I can pull it off with long sleeves. A little disgusted with this project so we’ll see if it ever actually gets a hood or cowl neck.
And I don’t think the back is cut crooked… but that I’m standing crooked. My seams on the other hand are definitely crooked especially my zipper… sort of swerves forward. All in all I’m pretty happy with it for a first go around at my own pattern! I’m actually really happy with how the skirt came out. The perfect amount of poof I think. If I had thought about it earlier I definitely would have made the bottom a bubble and added pockets but… you live you learn. Now I just have to order my dress form!
As I’ve been plodding through La Dolce Vegan (
Here it is served up. Clearly it didn’t stay in “pie” form anyways!
Mmm… check out that Tofu Bacon!!! Courtesty of a suggestion from 
What you see before you is a fresh from Farmer’s Market Blood Orange Mimosa!! Yow YOW!! This sucker was fantastic!! The brain child of an un-opened champagne bottle taking space up in our fridge since… hmm… when was the last Guava party??? And some fruits that needed to be consumed straight away! Now the only problem with Mimosa-ing for two is that there’s really no two person sized champagne bottle… but if you spread out your spritzer’s throughout the day… breakfast… dog walking… afternoon porch sitting… and you’re really diligent you can make a pretty good dent in a weekend.
What you see on top is nooched Fu! I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before but Mr. Guava seriously makes the best damn tofu I’ve ever tasted…. damn tasty if you ask me… also as a sidenote “damn” is apparently my new favorite way to add emphasis to my descriptions… but I digress. So what makes this curry so damn special??? Aside from the list above about how EVERY curry is special I attribute this one’s supreme sauciness to two major things.
2) Have you guys had 
Mwahahaha… okay Guava isn’t quite “Pumping the Iron” in this sense but I have been trying to get a little physical activity in everyday. The last few years have been kind of bleh in this department what with bad jobs and other stresses so I figured getting the heart rate goin’ a little and into a regular schedule could only help with my productivity. It’s been quite an exciting rollercoaster realizing what I actually can do if I put my mind to it and also what my limits are after not working out for a decade. Hehee… both motivating and humbling experiences. Plus, it’s always a test of my coordination trying to jog with Dublin and Scooter (one in each hand, at two different speeds) without tripping and eating it on the sidewalk as people “ooh and ahh” over them (Scooter attempting to attack other four legged brethern and Dub trying desperately to hide behind my legs from high pitched women and children reaching out to pet him). Definitely, a work in progress.
I can’t imagine anything bad ever coming out of my Dino Muffin tin… and you know what?? Nothing ever has!
