It keeps getting better and better every week.  Week two was almost the same as week one, but with added spinach and bok choy.  This week we got some spinach, kale, bok choy, braising greens, spring mix, fava beans and baby purple onions.  We’ve been doing really well with eating everything we get.  We still have some arugula from last week, but it still looks fresh and yummy.

Now, I’ve never had fava beans before.  We’ve been munching on them right out of the pod, but have no clue what else to do with them.  Any ideas?  I’ve got 2 lbs of them!

Today was our first pick up from our local CSA. We got ourselves some arugula, kale, spring mix, braising greens, petite lettuce head, garlic tops and radishes.

I am so pleased to be able to participate in this wonderful experience.  We are buying organic, fresh and beautiful produce from a farm only 4o minutes away. We met the founder of our local csa and the farm owner of Agua Linda Farms.  I just can’t express how good it feels to support these wonderful people.

What is even better, is that our kids get to experience this too.  It was so exciting for them (we built it up quite a bit) that when we got home with our produce, they were very eager to try it all.  It made my heart swell to see my little guys munch on radishes(!!) and fresh lettuce leaves.

We had an excellent dinner too.  Potatoes with kale, harvest grains (from Trader Joe’s) and mixed greens with balsamic vinegar/oil dressing.  It was delicious! Everything tastes better when you know exactly where it comes from. We will be visiting the Aqua Linda Farm on Saturday to see farming in action.

I got a great night’s sleep and feel much better today, even if it was the dreaded food shopping day, which ended up being not so bad once I threw a little craft shopping in too.  What makes food shopping even better is the company of my I-guy.  He is very patient and sweet and I can talk to him the whole time about what to buy and who is bugging us (ie; the unpleasant cashier at sunflower market).  So he makes it much, much better.

I saw yummy strawberries at the market today and knew exactly what to do with them once I came home, and suddenly strawberry pie (recipe HERE) was at the top of the list of things to do today. I also made pita chips (from left-over pita bread) and creamy vegan dip with fresh organic dill.  YUM!  So, even though I did zero crafting, We all ate some very yummy food, which is just as good in my book.

I also bought these patterns ($0.99 at JoAnns) and that feels good too.  Yep, having patterns pile up in a stack of high expectations is a great feeling.  Okay, I’m being very sarcastic, but someday I will conquer and have new capri pants, a jacket and lots of custom shirts. Ha!

Kind of a silly thing to say, being that I live in one of the warmest places in the country. In my defense, I’m getting a little too acclimated to extreme summer heat which there by makes me a big baby when it comes to cold. Secondly, my craft room is the coldest room in the house and third, my hands are always cold. Who can work with conditions like that. So, I’ve been working on these fingerless hand warmers. They really do the trick, even though I only have one done. The other is 3/4 of the way done and I thought I’d better share since this is the last day of my “Month of me” posting. I think I did pretty well, getting most of what I wanted done and feel pretty good about it.

 So this is how I’m doing with only one hand warmer. I wear it on my right hand for a bit to warm it up then switch it over to the left and I keep it there, leaving my right hand free to move the mouse, paint, draw, carve–the things I’ve been doing lately. Eventually I will get the other one done. I am only able to crochet when watching tv or movies (which I rarely do) and that makes it a lengthy process. (p.s.  there is no pattern for the gloves , I was just winging it).

Another thing that keeps me warm is Hot Fudge Pudding Cake from thimble.   It’s really tasty, especially when you remember the baking powder.  Don’t ask, but it’s an essential ingredient.  This recipe works really well with soy milk and earth balance.

Tofu scramble is one of my favorite breakfast meals. Well, let’s just face it, I like to eat. Apparently I say that about every food I post. Ah well, it’s good stuff.

Tofu can really pack a nutritious punch to get you going in the morning. It is high in protein, calcium and iron, low in calories. It can be made savory or sweet and it takes on any flavors you add to it. It’s really good stuff and it can be a part of anyone’s healthy and varied diet.  Anyone, meaning not just us vegans and vegetarians.

Here’s the recipe:

16 oz Extra firm tofu- organic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp spike or vegit (or any other all-purpose seasoning)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Earth Balance buttery spread (optional)

1. Combine all spices and nutritional yeast in small bowl and set aside.
2. Heat oil in skillet on medium heat.
2. Drain tofu, roll it up in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze it until most of the fluid is squished out of it. Unroll towel directly into pan (an excellent tip from Vegan Yum Yum).
3. Heat tofu for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking too much to the pan (I don’t use non-stick)
4. Add spice mixture and stir thoroughly and continue cooking for a few more minutes.
5. Add a few teaspoons of earth balance and allow to melt, stirring to distribute evenly.

Enjoy with toast or in a tortilla with salsa. YUM!

Pomegranates are by far my favorite fruit. I think I had my last till next summer. I ate this the other morning for breakfast and it was so sweet and perfect. I went back to the store to get more today, but they are gone. All gone. The huge display that was there a few days ago is no where to be found. Sniff… sniff…

Raisin Cake and PG tips (check out the funny monkey)

Tea is my favorite beverage (next to water). I drink several cups a day. It’s even better with a nice piece of spiced bread. Any kind will do, but right now, this raisin cake is my favorite. I found the recipe in an old Sunset Magazine and modified it a bit. Please consider giving it a try. It is really tasty and moist and my guys loved it.

2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance Buttery sticks, cut into chunks
2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with some Earth Balance (butter or margarine)
2. In a medium saucepan, boil raisins in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add buttery stick pieces. Let sit until butter has melted.
3. Meanwhile, combine remaining dry ingredients in large bowl.
4. Stir in buttery raisin-water into flour mixture and mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy.

We really just went thrifting to find jackets for the kids, the kind that you don’t care if they don’t make it home because they only cost a few bucks. Or the kind, when stained with blood you don’t care about the jacket, just the nose, arm, chin (whatever–boys!). Yep, we found a few that are pretty decent actually. Perfect for school. I also found a bunch of other stuff because it’s nearly impossible to stay away from the fabric section…and the dishes…and everything

Aren’t those mugs cool! Another lady was eyeing them and asked if I was REALLY going to get them. Absolutely, I am! I also got more pillow cases, fabric, napkins, a few holiday goodies and a fairy lady that I’m giving to my sister.

When we got back home, I made muffins to warm up the house a bit. It’s been quite rainy lately, unusual for these parts.

(see the pretty thrifted napkin underneath?)

They are pumpkin muffins from VWAV. I like nuts in mine and my guys don’t, so I added a little bit of fresh cranberry sauce to the tops of mine to tell them apart. These muffins were super tasty and incredibly moist, but I think I can officially say that I am done with pumpkin until next year.

Thank you for all of the ornament love. I love thinking about my little birds and houses adorning the trees in other warm and cozy homes. You still have time to get a comment in for a free ornament, so hurry on over to my last post.

(Sorry, I had to make this picture private, because some idiot is using my photo’s and posts -without permission-on their website. The only way to get my little guys off that website was to make the photo private) I fixed the problem.  No worries. 

Here is my little Jedi and Superman. I’ve been quite busy sewing these costumes up over the last couple of days. My mom did help a bit by making the main blue superman pieces. I did everything else, including the freezer paper stenciled Super S. Can’t even begin to tell you how tedious that was. I have a few burns from the iron to prove it. And the Jedi costume is all handmade by me as well. What is great about these outfits, is that you can remove the accessories and they are comfy cozy pajamas. I could just gobble these two little guys up! Speaking of gobbling things up…..

Before we headed out begging for candy, we had ourselves some eyeballs over blood sauce and green tape worms with monster fingers. Perfect meal to start off with, don’t you think?

And who needs candy when you have these?!?! Click on the picture for the ingredient list.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween Day!

Here is a look at the embroidered buttons I made for Michelle’s swap.

Fall colors on brown is so pretty to me right now. I watched THIS tutorial, which had the great idea of using a dab of glue stick to keep everything centered nicely.

Five buttons for the swap, one for Michelle (one is for me) were sent early Saturday morning. Late as per Regina swapping fashion (sorry, Michelle).

Here is my apple cobbler that I made for dinner last night– yes, dinner. The kids call it “apple crunch”, which just happens to be great for breakfast too.

Recipe (vegan):

5 large granny smith apples
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tbsp cornstach
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup old-fashion dry oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks,cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking dish by covering the sides and bottom of the dish with a thin layer of earth balance.
2. Peel and cut apples into thinish (1/2 inch), small pieces.
3. In small bowl, mix apple pieces with cornstarch and half of the brown sugar and pour into prepared baking dish.
4. Combine all remaining ingredients, except “butter”, in a large bowl.
5. Add “butter” pieces and combine together with fingers until you get medium (not fine) sized crumbles.
6. Pour crumble mixture on top of apple and press down lightly with fingers.
7. Bake for 45 minutes and enjoy warm with vanilla soy or ice cream.

Tomorrow:
My two year Blogiversay, Blog Action Day, and an environmentally friendly give-away.

Chimp cakes:

From Vegetarian Times October 2007 issue.  Banana, walnuts and chocolate chips.  Vegan and oh so yummy!

Moo Cards:

Came a couple of days ago. LOVE!  There are two of each.

Sinking into a long session of buttons and beading:

More on the buttons and beads later. 

I’m all over the place with my crafting this week.  What can I say?  I have a very short attention span.