Things That Make Me Happy

the smell of lilacs going to farmer's markets feeling organized When my oldest daughter eats enthusiastically BIG storms Makin' muffins with my hubby Seeing people pick up their dog's doo Creating something I'm proud of Super strong coffee with fat-free hazelnut creamer Being near the ocean Dancing to my favorite music when I know nobody is watching recycling, reducing, & reusing Looking at a freshly developed roll of film Planting flowers & trees cooking something people enjoy sending & receiving things in the mail really good red wine riding bicycles from coffee house to coffee house in Amsterdam waterfalls trying to get to sleep the night before leaving on vacation when I hear of people doing great things for the earth & it's inhabitants coming up with a good idea the rush from working out eating ice-cream when the good guys prevail reading bed-time stories candles animals living free people living responsibly exploring feeling like I got a bargain friends riding on a motorcycle when democrats win Brown seeing the nutcracker ballet going to flea markets things old-fashioned a terrific hair cut making plans smiles web design taking a shower the "pop" sound a canning jar makes when sealed sharing a pot of tea the sound of rain cold Seirra Nevada pale ale beer a 3 legged race with hubby falling stars

****Blueberry Muffin Breakfast

Using basic ingredients, I made this delicious breakfast with the help of my 3 year old daughter. We began by making the Jiffy blueberry muffin batter using Silk Soymilk and adding some frozen, organic blueberries. I poured the batter into the muffin tins and put those in the oven. We then got the bacon ready (microwave what you need for 20 seconds & then follow their directions) and put it in the oven when the muffins had 10 minutes left to cook -- this made our timing perfect. I was a little naughty and put some left over frosting from our cupcakes on the muffins and topped with some of the organic blueberries. This was a hit at our house -- my husband smelled the muffins and it brought him around. My picky eater loved it and kept asking for more. There were no left-overs on this one. Added bonus! Blueberries are supposed to be really good for you...I found this 3lb. bag of organic frozen blueberries by Cascadian Farm at Costco.

Read: If You Give A Moose A Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Listen: "Muffin Man" #5 on WE ALL LIVE TOGETHER, Vol. 2 by Greg & Steve

***Citrus Sparerib Cutlets & Jasmine Rice

After the girls went to bed, I made this meal for my husband and I. Vegetarian Citrus Sparerib Cutlets by Vegetarian Plus is our latest favorite meatless. It is super easy to make, and they come in their own sauce which has a slightly sweet and citrus flavor as well as a satisfying texture. First, I started the jasmine rice in the cooker, using coconut milk instead of water and added a half cup extra water because the coconut milk is thick -- this adjustment worked out well. When the ingredients were cooked, I put a pile of the rice on the plate, arranged the spareribs around, and topped it off with sliced beets. High marks...You just can't go wrong with Citrus Spareribs. Although, I must agree with my husband that they stick to your teeth.

**Tofu, Corn & Hash Browns

From time to time, I will guest appear in this section. I'm the tofu expert around here, Vicki doesn't care much for tofu. I like organic by the brand "Nasoya" but you gotta use what you can find. Slice the tofu into pieces the size of decks of cards and cook in unsalted butter (about 2 tbsp.) turning once or twice. Add your favorite sauce (about 1 ounce) about half-way through the process. The finished tofu should be golden brown, crisp on the outside, and soft and "poached" texture inside. My favorite way to serve this kind of tofu is with rice and sliced peaches on top. But, lacking peaches, I went with hash browns (used 1 tbsp. unsalted butter on the dehydrated cheap kind); corn and a few pickle slices rounded out the final product. By Art

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**Chik'n Dinner

The girls love the Chik'n Nuggets by Morningstar Farms and they are the beginning to many meals. Tonight, I added some frozen broccoli, corn, and french fries. Earlier in the day, I boiled the fresh beets Art brought home from the Co-Op for about 30 minutes, then put them in the refrigerator, later peeling the skin was easy and I diced them up. Of course, Livi didn't eat much of the meal, but Abi ate some of each item. I do this meal when I'm in a pinch for time...just pop it in the oven/microwave.

***Mac Cubes & Tufu Pups Lunch

***I whipped this up in 5 minutes! I know, it's nothing fancy, but the girls LOVED it. I cut the macaroni & cheese (left over from last night) into cubes. Liv had fun pretending they were train cars. I then cut 1.5 Tofu Pups for each serving, I rounded it out with some canned lite peaches and dried blueberries and called it lunch. We've tried several varities of veggie hot dogs, and this literally is the only kind Liv will eat. For a while we couldn't find Tofu Pups in our stores so we bought a case from LightLife and stored them in the freezer. FYI, they freeze perfectly and it's nice to have them on hand.

****Cupcake Dessert

We had fun making these simple cupcakes. It was about $5 for the whole schbang, and we have more food coloring and cupcake liners for next time. I tried to make it a learning experience for my 3 year old, we counted: the eggs to make the batter, the drops of food coloring, the cupcake liners, the cupcakes. She enjoyed watching the colors magically appear as we stirred the frosting. This gets high marks for a simple rainy day activity.

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***Veggie Burger Lunch

Boca "vegan" style burgers, cooked in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and each patty topped with Tillamook cheddar cheese. After cooking the burgers, add the cheese, turn off the heat and cover for 3-5 minutes, which gives time for the cheese to melt and to prepare the fixin's. I cut the girls' burgers into quarters and added a banana & baby carrots to the plate for good measure. Abi loved it. Liv picked the sesame seeds off the bun.

**Waffle & Facon Breakfast

I removed half the bacon strips from package and microwaved them for 20 seconds (this prevents the frozen bacon from breaking apart). Then followed the directions on the box, flipping them once. Then melted some butter in the microwave to top the waffles that were about to pop from the toaster. I opened a can of lite fruit cocktail, put a vitamin on the try. and said "bon appetit" Like most meals, Abi loved it, and Livi ate the waffle and skipped everything else.

****Spaghetti Dinner

Here is a very basic vegetarian meal which is inexpensive and tasty! Basic "Old World" style Ragu sauce, with ordinary noodles (we used Ronzoni "Spaghetti-8" last time), and add your favorite breakfast veggie sausage on the side or atop like meatballs. We used "Sausage Patties" from Morningstar Farms and they were delicious, cooked in a pan with some unsalted butter. My youngest daughter smeared it all over her face and loved it! My oldest daughter slurped down noodle-by-noodle!

Photo Album

Read: On Top of Spaghetti illustrated by Gene Barretta

Best Albums

Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Beck - Odelay
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Diggable Planets - The Rebirth of the Slick
DJ Mark Farina - Mushroom Jazz volume I
District 37 - Modern Acid Rock Music
40 Watt Hype - Strong Feet On The Concrete
Zero 7 - Simple Things
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Beatles - Revolver

Swept Away

here i am with my love in jamaica for our honeymoon...ok, that was 14 years ago! we were hotties back then! just look at our legs....or at what used to be our legs! hee hee. no way....i wouldn't trade all our adventures for those legs. it really was "no problem mon!" we had the time of our lives -- no worries & lots fewer responsibilities. and just look at how lush & beautiful it is there. we were working out together to be slim for our wedding. we would take step classes together at the point loma family fitness center in san diego -- we loved it! step classes had just become the rage & we had all the moves down -- what a rush! so anyway, the gym was having this raffle & the winner would go to the swept away resort in negril jamaica. we didn't win -- but we went anyway!! it was an all included place and we ate, & drank, partied & played like it was the last place on earth! so in love....& still so. i love you art!
PS -- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY MOTHER & FATHER INLAW!! 43 YEARS!!