wow, the chaos has settled.  this website was down for a period of time over the weekend and the process of switching to a new location seemed a bit out of hand.  there is still a lot of work that needs to be done here and i’m ready for it.  i’m also ready to be a permanent employee somewhere.  a homeowner?  not quite there yet.  a mrs?  bring it.  we still need to find someone to marry us, figure out the invitations, and buy something to wear.  everything else is set.  well, except for the registry.  it’s kind of tough going shopping for yourselves knowing you can add whatever you want.  there are so many styles of flatware!  and this morning i don’t have time to talk pots and pans.

people keep reminding me that i have a lot going on.  they can see my cluttered mind.  i’m going to spend a quiet moment this morning staring at the wall.  thanks for finding the site again!

dear readers, i need to tell you about something that doesn’t make me proud. the above picture represents my breakfast from a few months ago. skfl and i started house hunting and were running late to meet our realtor. i thought it would be the perfect excuse to hit up a mcdonald’s drive-thru. they were of course understaffed and overcrowded at the two locations on the way. that led to more time lost. with ten minutes left on the clock, the only logical solution was a stewart’s shop. [one of the things i love about skfl is that he actually says the whole name of the place, no straight up stewart’s like the rest of us. he even pronounces rensselaer the correct way]

i wasn’t thinking clearly and knew that caffeine was a must. the bright blue packaging spoke to me and i went for it. the frosted flakes were a long lost friend and the red bull, well that was my first and probably last experience with the stuff. the snack did the trick and was an important reminder to always make enough time for ugly oatmeal.

i wrote a few things this morning, but couldn’t quite complete any thoughts. so here is a photo of the lovely and mischievous mae. [side note: i got up early to sit here and have nothing to say? it’s all part of the process i suppose.]

a bit of a late blog entry this morning because i took the day off from work in an effort to get caught up on almost foodies tasks. i’m preparing to move this whole site over to another location and really need to dedicate a few non-sleepy evening hours to plan it all out. (and yes i did have 2.5 beers last night, but that has nothing to do with my day off) yay!

yesterday i had a midday impromptu beer at the local brew pub. my pal and i sampled a few beers before ordering our standard pints (cherry raspberry ale for her and brown ale for me). i love sitting at the bar of a brew pub where the bartenders are excited about what is being served.

the rauschbier was an unexpected mouthful of campfire flavors. i was rocking the russian caravan tea for a while after buying a giant bag of it in error, and was used to a smoky beverage flavor. the rauschbier really took me by surprise though. the bartender said it was reminiscent of bacon and he was right. it was almost like drinking the leftover bacon grease minus the fat (please note: i have never done such a thing).

tonight i’ll be going for something a little more mellow, like a toasted lager at the bar down the street. after all, it is st. patrick’s day. time to pull out that creepy leprechaun pin (more on that later). cheers!

when i think of a vegan baked good, the word treat does not come to mind. i expect a dense and chewy lump of gross. the substitutions are fascinating and sometimes terrifying. there is a recipe in the joy of cooking that i visit once a year on those nights when dessert is required and the fridge holds no eggs. it’s the dairy-free chocolate cake (vegan) from the joy of cooking (page 932 in my edition). i like that vegan is in parentheses – it’s not the main attraction (even though it is with the term dairy-free at the start). i am not anti vegan, but for some reason i find that word kind of upsetting and it makes me fear the food i’m about to eat. actually, i think a lot of the food i make is vegan.
 
what am i getting at? well i think it’s time to be more mindful of the foods prepared in this household and their vegan status. sassy salsa? vegan. ugly oatmeal? vegan. quesadilla filling (minus the cheese)? vegan. (i’m trying to get jazzed about that word while going wildly off-track)

the cake!

dairy-free chocolate cake (vegan) from the joy of cooking

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. grease and flour one 8 x 8 inch pan or line the bottom with wax or parchment paper.

sift together in a large bowl:

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened nonalkalized cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

combine and add:

• 1 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

make an icing with powdered sugar and some kahlua, slather that on top. heat up some cherry preserves and throw them on, and top it all off with some slivered almonds. yumville usa!

yesterday i stumbled upon what looks like junk you’d rake up in the yard after the snow melts. the jar said patchouli and at first i didn’t believe it. i thought patchouli came from the vial in the back of my medicine cabinet. the one i struggle to open every morning because the resin like substance gets stuck in between the cap and the jar. as it turns out, patchouli is just an average looking herb in the mint family.

i’ve been wearing the oil for years and people are always commenting on it. i get two strong reactions from others – they either love it or hate it most people that hate the smell are reminded of a former partner they would like to forget. or dirt. people really like to tell me i smell like dirt. or dirty hippies. or cleaning solution. or bug spray. those are the haters. the lovers will inhale deeply in my presence, smile and walk away with what looks like a feeling of peace. that’s what i do to someone wearing it, and they always give me an understanding nod.

i could go on and on about lovely patchouli, but the day is calling. do i have to start getting up even earlier now?

last fall, i stashed away a bottle of my favorite beer to enjoy at a later date. i saw it every time i went into the fridge and kept saying it wasn’t the right time (usually around 7:30 a.m. when the work lunches were getting packed up). well saturday afternoon felt right and i went for it. delicious. absolutely delicious. so cold and exciting. dear spaten oktoberfest, you rule. see ya again in six months, buddy!

welcome back dear readers. we were offline for a while thanks to a misunderstanding between the site host and me. boy did that kick off a lousy day. on the upside, i think i successfully white balanced my camera to take this shot. at the bottom you can see the little yellow glow from a pleasant daffodil surprise.

another surprise, roasted broccoli thrown in to some leftover pasta with homemade tomato sauce. the pasta lost its al denténess (does that make sense?) and i needed something to liven up the leftovers. it worked! was that an exclamation point? i guess my lousy day got better!

i am trying to embrace the early morning blogging. there is something exciting about getting up before my neighbors. it’s still dark out, and sunrise isn’t for another hour. that means a cold and dark dog walk. no way to spot those street treats before mae does.

not much on my mind this morning (other than how dark out it is), so here is a look into our freezer. we’ve got a full supply of pita bread, homemade tomato sauce, black beans, vegetable stock, chipotle peppers and two soups from january’s soup swap. there is even a box of plantains to try out sometime when we’ve lost the patience to let ‘em ripen on the counter.

here’s to a great and productive monday!