Happy Holidays!!!

Here's what I got :D



Nine chapsticks, AR videos to use w/ SPEAK, hand sanitizers/lotion/bodywash, cupcake maker/donut maker/blender, juicer, owl vase/SUPERfreakonomics, scarf(my mom made) w/ matching birdy/photobox, penguin pajamas, quesadilla maker and magic cleaning cloths, dry erase calendar board, amber necklace, and a cutie making gingerbread houses with me.

**and the not pictured thai cookbook!! woops, it was in the bottom of the box, i'll get the picture up later!

I guess I was good this year ;)

-Kristie

Stuffed Peppers!!

I don't really know why but I'm so proud of myself for making stuffed peppers, even though it was incredibly easy!!! Honestly, just poured some olive oil in a pan, added mushrooms and fresh garlic (which I smell like again ugh haha), then added some boca veggie crumbles, tomato puree, black beans, and brown rice...mixed it all together, gutted the green peppers and tomatoes (marc hates peppers), filled them up, baked them in the oven, added some cheese and voila!!!!

Just need to bake for about 15-20 minutes and the whole mixing ingredients maybe took about 10 (boiling the rice/frying the crumbles, etc.).



bon appetit!!
-kristie

P.S. I am just loving these owl purses!!!

Busy,Busy

Well, I thought Christmas break was going to be a month of peaceful recuperating and organizing but it's yet to be such!! I'm back to working 40 hours (partly because Camie has the month off, partly because they don't really want me parttime EVER) and then there's been this whole Christmas fiasco and the fact that I love going to sleep early. Anyways, I did spend a day moving the massive pile of yardsale stuff consuming our kitchen into the 2nd bedroom (which we've hardly ever used for anything other than an old computer room in Marc's case) and organizing the kitchen a bit...



Finally hung up our "Halloween" caricature and moved all of our cookbooks from the living room into the kitchen (although they're connected, it still makes me want to use them more.)

The house still needs a lot of work and I really don't have the motivation. I'd rather not be working fulltime right now but the whole "student loan debt" issue stops me from putting my foot down. Sometimes I don't even know why I'm going to school since "real jobs" make me want to vomit. Hopefully it will all eventually work out.

I made cinnamon buns out of biscuits the other day, forgot to snap a photo but they were delicious!! Just mixed cinnamon w/ sugar to put inside them and made frosting out of powdered sugar.

So far I'm only taking four classes in the Spring. I'm contemplating a language but I might back out--since my French permit has yet to go through (and I can't drive an hour away 4 days a week just for Chinese again). Think I might just keep it to the four (and one's online!) because I know two of them at least are going to be a lot of reading and I'd love some time to start an ETSY store to help out with the not working as much thing.

That's it for now, I suppose. Also putting together a 2011 Goal List, will post here later!!

8)

Good morning!

This morning I decided to brave this cold and windy weather to get some breakfast ingredients (which I found out later I had at least half of already...) I decided to make chocolate chip scones with an orange glaze!!

They were super yummy! I grabbed the recipe from this book.

When I went to make the glaze, I misread "orange juice" for "orange extract" so just put less extract and added some vanilla almond milk to smooth it out. still turned out fine :)

Last night for dinner, I made chickun w/ cheezy mashed potatoes and some raw veggies. yum!!



Happy Eating! :D

Also realized after REbuying a bunch of ingredients today that I totally need to reorganize my kitchen!! I work all night but tomorrow I'm off so have to start a list of projects to accomplish!! Pictures when it starts getting interesting :)

Vegan No Bake Cookies!!!

Guess what, the semester's almost over. That means I'm seriously (seriously) even though my own boyfriend doesn't believe me seriously going to do this blog!! Look, I'm going to start right now. I've been trying to research really HEALTHY eating but am CRAVING some dessert foods.. I decided to look up no-bake cookies when I realized that I have a BUNCH of oatmeal leftover from a previous roommate. (I HATE oatmeal but I LOVE oatmeal cookies.)

So, I found this simple, vegan, no bake (I just used a microwave for the whole heating thing) cookie recipe on this vegan forum. Thanks!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

2 tablespoons of E.B. or another butter substitute
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
dash salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter (optional: add more to taste and increase the oatmeal) - I personally used soynut butter - but any nut butter will do.
1 1/2 cups UNCOOKED oatmeal
-heat butter until the butter is melted. Add 1/4 cup cocoa and blend until the cocoa is dissolved into the butter.
-Add the sugar, milk and salt. Blend well.
-bring ingredients to a full boil. You want a full boil, but because it will continue to cook for awhile once it's removed from heat, heating it too long can cause the mixture to scorch.)
-Add the vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal. Stir well. Drop by tablespoon-full on waxed paper and allow to cool.

They are absolutely delicious!! I used vanilla soymilk (maybe this helped since I didn't actually have any vanilla but I use it for everything, even mashed potatoes.) As an added sweetener, I poured in some agave nectar. I used my new favorite earth balance soy-free butter and tahini nut butter instead of peanutbutter (which I happened to be out of). I probably used at least 4 times the peanutbutter it called for.. it helps make them thicker plus I am a huge fan!!! Try them out, delicious :D

p.s. makes more than shown above but i'm currently chowing down on the rest of the mixture. I would also usually use almond milk but my grocery store was out--but that would make them soy free as well!