Now that school is out I have had more time to prepare for the wedding. Here are a few little sneak peek looks at some DIY crafty goodness I have been working on.

Now that school is out for the Summer I have way more free time to complete the stock pile of projects i’ve been aching to get crackin’ on. Here is one little fun and easy DIY I did yesterday. I made chalkboards!

The main idea was so I could use them for our wedding next month, but now that they are finished I am for sure using one in the kitchen.

I just used Krylon Chalkboard spray paint and some Plywerk blank panels. You can also find some neat pieces of wood that have some old painting on it at Goodwill, like the one above, and just paint over it. I added some embellishment with white paint on one of them, but it’s not needed.

The paint can go on just about any surface, so get creative!

This morning Piet spoke with a few friends back home in England. Hobnobs, a European biscuit, came up in conversation due to the fact that you can purchase them in the US at import stores, but they are incredibly overpriced. Temped by his friend Steph’s comment about home made Hobnobs, I got right to work making some of my own. They turned out just right! Recipe after the cut.

1 1/4 cups oats
1/4 cup & 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup & 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup & 1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate chips

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Add the wet in and mix together. Should be a dry batter.

Place between 2 sheets wax paper and roll out till about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with cookie cutter, or wine glass like I did

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile melt chocolate chips by placing them in a metal bowl and setting that in a small sauce pan with simmering water.

When cookies are done, let cool for a bit and then spread melted chocolate over the top.

Eat and enjoy!

Today is a good day. My order of cotton came in, what will I use it for? Stay tuned!

Also, I made these delicious little stuffed potatoes the other night. Aren’t they pretty? Better yet no dairy involved! Just Broccoli, garlic and red pepper flakes! So good.

Last night and today has been a cooking frenzy for me. I really should be studying and getting caught up on reading, but apparently the kitchen calls! I started out last night making my first ever tamales! So yummy! Piet and I are going to a Cinco De Mayo party on Wednesday, and I shuttered at the thought of mounds of delicious food covered in cheese. I really wanted an alternative to eat guilt and bloat free. So I went out on a limb and made vegan tamales which will be served with Tofutti Better than Sour Cream.See this recipe and others after the cut below.

Next was Bran Muffins. This only came about when cruising the Winco bulk (our favorite place in the world) and discovered whole wheat bran, so I snatched some up. This recipe of course uses apple sauce in place of eggs and since they are on the healthy side, I decided to top them with a sprinkle of Sugar in the Raw mixed with cinnamon.

And last is another loaf of my French Bread. It is the newest addition to my bread repertoire and the most simple. I think everyone was getting sick of my rosemary olive oil haha.

Recipes and a note about veganism and me below.

After long hibernation, Keven the “vegan” is making a partial comeback. I was never vegan for issues regarding animal cureltly (to put it lightly) as I believe even meat eaters can make the right choices by purchasing locally farmed grass fed meat, and you don’t need to be vegan to take a stand against the horrors of our meat industry. With that said, I would rather be a regular person who for the most part choses to have a “vegan” diet, but I love eating delicious food other people make me regardless of what is in it, and I love trying new things.

Piet and I already do not purchase or cook meat (except on a very rare occasion I surprise him with bacon), i’ve turned him onto the delicious wonders of Almond Milk, so we no longer have to buy milk for his tea or cereal, I cook most my meals with whole foods and tons of olive oil, I NEVER use butter, and I almost always substitute apple sauce in my baking for eggs (makes for some amazing corn bread!). So, it’s not a huge stretch for us to take it to the next level and make an intentional decision to be healthier people. I feel better when I cook and eat in a way that does not involve animal products, but that doesn’t mean we can eat the delicious grass fed, locally raised steak Andy cooks up on the BBQ or have a peiece of Grandmas pie just because it has butter in it…..mmm these bran muffins are good and getting crumbs all over my keyboard….ok now for recipes.

Vegan Tamales

6 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup corn oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 bag corn husks (you can buy these at Fred Meyer or Winco)
6 cups Maseca corn masa mix for tamales (also at the above stores)
2 cans black beans (approx 4 cups)
1 chopped onion
16 cloves roasted garlic, chopped (could substitute with garlic powder)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Optional : Trader Joe’s tofu Chorizo.

First thing is to roast the garlic if you are going the long route. Here are some good instructions on how to do that.

Soak corn huks in warm water for 10 – 20 minutes so the individual husks come apart easily.

In a large mixing bowl combine corn mesa mix, water/veg broth, baking powder, corn oil and salt. Mix well and set aside.

To make the filling sate chopped onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil for about 10 min or until soft and translucent. Combine with black beans in blender. Here you can experiment with other spices or I threw a splash of worcestershire sauce and white wine vinegar. Pure until smooth.

Spread open individual corn husks and spread a good amount of mesa mix onto each one, leaving about 1/2 inch on either side. Then put a spoonful of the filling in the middle, and sprinkle some tofu chorizo in there as well if you like. Fold the small end of the husk up and then fold the sides in so they overlap and you surround the filling with the mesa mix on the inside.

Stand them up open side up, in a large pot with a steamer inside and steam covered for about 2 hours. Check on them every 20 min or so to replenish water if needed.

Bran Muffins

2 1/2 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup brown or white sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup apple sauce
1 cup almond or soy milk
1/3 cup canola oil

Mix bran, flour, sugar , baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl.

Combine oil, milk and apple sauce in small bowl. Whisk until frothy. Slowly add to dry mixture until all combined, but don’t mix too much. Distribute evenly into muffin cups and you can add sugar and cinnamon or sliced almonds to the top of each.

Bake in muffin tin at 400 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Its moving right along! Nothing new to report really, the cilantro exploded upward and got a little too big for its britches because it started to get droopy. Really looking forward to cooking with fresh basil and driving my cats nuts with catnip!

Speaking of cats, Eskimo has an upper respiratory infection, which he is prone to. But this time our vet gave us Greenies Pill Pockets for his medication. They are amazing! Eskimo loves them and gobbles it right up! I highly recommend them to anyone who need to feed their cat a pill.

Week 2 of my windowsill herb garden and all my seeds have sprouted and  been planted! Basil (on the left) was the first to sprout, Lavender (on the right) was second runner up, and Cilantro and Catnip and Sage are a little behind but have all poked their bright little faces through the dirt to say hello.

Also, heres a cute picture of my cat and the little succulent Piet surprised me with when I got home from work the other day

I have dreamed of a little window-sill herb garden all Winter. With school and work I hadn’t had the time to get things started. My one and only goal for Spring Break was to get everything set up. Using a mixture of recycled jars, and mixed matched pots set upon the lovely little shelf Piet put up for me I will grow Basil, Cilantro, Lavender, Sage and Catnip!

I’ve started the seeds out in a damp cloth sealed in a plastic baggie. This will speed up the germination process. Stay tuned for week two!

The Olive Oil Rosemary is so far my favorite, check out the recipe below the cut.

Combine these ingredients in the bread maker in this order:

1 cup warm water

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon italian spices
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rosemary (i usually add more than that and of the italian spices)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

You can either make the whole loaf in the machine, or make the dough and bake in the oven at 350F for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Friday I got a wild hair (or is it hare?) to bake some bread. Luckly I remember Kim & Kjell bought a bread machine, and I was lucky enough to borrow it. Well since Friday night i’ve baked 5 loaves of bread and gained 5lbs. The baking frenzy will calm, but i’m really excited about the idea of never having to buy bread again. The pictured loaf is a Jalapeno Cheese bread, the recipe is below the cut. Although my prized loaf so far is a delicious Rosemary and Olive Oil. I’ll get some pictures and post the recipe soon.

I prefer making the dough in the machine and then baking the bread in the oven. However this particular recipe requires baking it in the oven.

Add these ingredients in this order:

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter / margarine
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Turn bread machine onto the dough setting and about half way through cycle  (so there is still one more kneading cycle left) add the following ingredients:

2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapenos – add more for a more spicy bread
1 tablespoon chopped or dry minced onion

Once the dough is ready roll it out and sprinkle the flat dough with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Roll the dough back up and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow if you tap it with a knife.

This bread is so good with a yummy jelly spread on a slice. Enjoy!