THE MENU

I have to say I'm pretty proud of the meal I put together for Thanksgiving. It was healthy, yummy, and animal-friendly. We enjoyed my favorite olives from whole foods that are seasoned with garlic and lemon, they are sooooo good!



Then I thought, "hmmm, we can use something else." So, I threw together some pinto beans, lemon, olive oil, rosemary, salt&pepper in the food processor, and out came a delicious bean spread. The crostini was a perfect match, but we forgot to take pics of that. I just thinly sliced a fresh baguette, brushed with olive oil and salt&pepper and broiled for a few minutes. When the slices are still hot i rub them with a garlic clove to give it a slight garlic taste. Yum.



The main course was a spanikopita spin-off. I sautéed garlic, onion, spinach, mushrooms and walnuts together. I added rosemary and thyme, and about 2T of nutritional yeast for some added nutrients and just salt&pepper. Then i layered this between several layers of phyllo dough and baked in the oven.

Here it is, after we ate a lot of it.



Here are the sweet potatoes that I pureed in the food processor with salt, pepper, rosemary, orange zest, and some Earth Balance butter substitute. I love simplicity when it comes to cooking. I really loved these, the food processor made them so silky too.



Then, just some green beans that I blanched first then sautéed with garlic, some more rosemary, orange zest and parsley. They were still crispy, which I love. I hate overcooked green beans.



Thanksgiving 2007 was a success!

PLASTIC BAGS

I just ordered my first set of Baggu, Reusable shopping bags. I can't wait till they come in. I especially can't wait to stop using the ugly and environmentally-hazardous ones the super markets give you. I'm so happy to support such a wonderful company with the right philosophy about the world. Did you know that "In landfills, it can take up to 1000 years for a bag to decompose. Plastics don't biodegrade, they photo-degrade, breaking down into tiny toxic pieces that contaminate soil and water or harm wildlife."

I'd say that's a pretty good reason to boycott plastic bags. I chose the saffron, smoke, and olive colors!

WHAT'S UP

Well last week I had the whole week off from work. I needed time to relax and regroup. I think it worked.

I went to Naples, Florida to get some sun and enjoy laziness without responsibility for a few days. It was okay, pretty uneventful. The weather was beautiful, 80's and sunny. But, I guess that's what I needed. It allowed me to sit and read without feeling like I should be doing something else instead. Oh and I did find some beautiful shells in the ocean. I even picked up —then put back—a starfish for the first time that I think was still living...it was beautiful and pretty big.

So, even though I came back from the trip slightly disappointed, I think it gave me a piece of myself back.

Here's how I know:
• I finished 2 books last week. Nothing terribly life-changing or intellectual, but I actually was able to concentrate on them without wanting to put them down.
• I cooked 3 meals all from scratch, like the old days and I enjoyed the process while listening to music. I didn't feel like I had to rush, that's a huge deal for me.
• I took a couple baths and then lounged around in a robe.
• I spent extra time laying in bed snuggling with the kitties. Did i ever mention how over-the- top in love I am with them?
• I enjoyed food-shopping.

So, I guess that's it. I feel much happier this week.
I'm even going to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year in our apartment—a vegan Thanksgiving dinner. It'll just be me and brian and my mom, who seem to be looking forward to my cooking, as am I!

THE WILL TO LIVE

I saw this video on the Where's the Revolution blog yesterday and found it very touching so I wanted to share. It's about a cow, named Maxine who escaped a slaughterhouse in Queens.

EMBELLISHING

I'm weirdly proud of this apron I made. Well, it's actually a vintage apron that I embellished. But I think it turned out pretty cool. I originally made it for the Sid Vintage fashion show as a Dandie in the Underworld raffle prize, but the give-away never happened so it's back in my hands. I did decide that I'm ready to let go of it again and am going to sell it at D.I.T.U.

So, I finally have something of mine for sale. Maybe I'll make more, maybe not.....we'll see.

HALLOWEEN

I decided to get over feeling down by dressing up for a night of Halloween fun. I was a psychedelic butterfly, and weirdly enough there was a psychedelic butterfly catcher after me!





He was entranced once he got too close.



Finally the zombie got me.