Tuesday, July 19, 2011

All good things must come to an end.

Back in 2001, I made a life-changing decision.  You might think I'm exaggerating when I say "life changing," but I'm really not.  I was shopping at Target and saw the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the millionth time.  It had so much hype, and I wanted to know why.  I bought the book and then forced everyone around me to read it.  You're welcome, by the way!

     I'm so happy that I started the book series before the movies came out.  J.K. Rowling creates such a magical place, with so much detail and description that I really believe I'm picturing Harry's world the way she wants me to.  And once the movies did start coming out, it was fun (and sometimes stressful) to compare the books to the films. 

     I know some of the world is disappointed in the last film, but I have to say that I loved it.  I'm glad that I didn't re-read the book right before I went to the Cinebistro (21 and up, the only way to see movies that might be overrun with screaming, talking, crying, and horrible teenagers - you'll catch me there for Twilight and Hunger Games, too) to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II.  I'm way too critical when I do that.  This way, I remembered the important events but didn't get caught up in what was missing.  For me, the four highlights (and sobbing points - don't worry, I was crying silently so as not to disturb my fellow 21 and up moviegoers) were when Harry finally sees Snape's memories, when Harry is in the forest with the stone, when Harry and Dumbledore are at King's Cross, and of course the end.  I tried to keep it vague in case you didn't see the movie.

     Following Harry's journey through the wizarding world has been such a special part of the last ten years of my life.  To honor Harry, his friends, and his foes, here are some of my favorite quotes from each book (although there are so many more terrific quotes in each book and by each character):

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:  "It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."  -Professor Dumbledore

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:  "It's our choices, Harry, that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities."  -Professor Dumbledore (I knew this would happen - try as I may to be equal to all characters, I can't resist Dumbledore's wisdom.  Most likely the rest of the quotes I choose will be Dumbledore quotes.  Can I name my first child Dumbledore?)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:  "The consequences of our actions are always so diverse, so complex, that it makes predicting the future very difficult, indeed."  -Dumbledore

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:  "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."  -Sirius Black


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:  "Youth can not know how age thinks and feels, but old men are guilty, if they forget what it was to be young."  -Dumbledore

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:  "I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water.  "I am with you."  (If you've read the books and you are familiar with the characters, you know why this is such a powerful quote.  If you haven't, I think you need to head to the library and get started.)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  "Above all pity those who live without love."  -Dumbledore

All is well...

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Barbecue "Chicken" Panini and Sauteed Kale

Ever since I started my vegan diet last August, I have been wishing for a meat substitute that actually tastes like meat.  I don't like the texture of tofu.  I don't like the texture of tempeh, unless someone else cooks it.  Seitan is pretty good, but again, when I've made it at home, it's just not the same.  Luckily the most glorious thing happened to me today - I discovered gardein fake chicken!  It seriously tastes like actual chicken.  I think it just changed my life.

     I decided to make this memorable day even better by making something I haven't had the pleasure of eating in a long, long while.  I got out my copy of Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin and found the perfect candidate - the barbecue "chicken" panini.  Quick, simple, and for vegans like me who are skeptical of fake meat, to die for.

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    I started with two slices of Ezekiel 7 Sprouted Grains Bread.  Have you ever used Ezekiel?  It's really good, but it makes me so mad when I have to pry a slice from the frozen loaf.  I always waste a big chunk because it's stuck together.  This time I got smart and let it thaw out for a while before I needed it, but to no avail.  I lost two big chunks.  Damn.  I smoothed a little coconut oil on one side of each slice, just enough to moisten them, and set them aside.  I popped four (three for the sammy, one for dipping in BBQ sauce) of my new favorite gardein 7 grain chiken nuggets into a 430 degree oven for 20 minutes (flipped once), and got my bottled barbecue sauce and pre-made vegan coleslaw out.  When the nugs were ready, I assembled my sandwich:






















I spread some BBQ sauce on the dry side of one slice of bread.






















I placed my three gorgeous nugs on top of the BBQ sauce.  They totally smelled like chicken.  I took a quick break to savor my leftover nug, double-dipping it into the sauce.  Yes.






















I spread some coleslaw on top of those bad boys.






















I closed it up and heated it on a medium flame for 4 minutes on each side.

















Mmmmm.  I promise this tastes like a real barbeque chicken sandwich, even though it's chiken.  I'm really picky, so you can trust me.  And with some sauteed kale on the side, it served as a satisfying Thursday night dinner!

4th of July Fake Meeeeet-Off

*Originally posted on a different site on July 4, 2011

Let me preface this post by stating that I am completely delirial.  This is a term that my sister coined, meaning that you ate so much that you probably shouldn’t be held accountable for your actions or words.  Basically, it’s being drunk from eating too much.  If this post doesn’t make sense, that is why.

     For the past few years, my 4th of July holiday has been spent with my dad’s side of the family, grilling, eating, drinking, and fireworking.  This year marks my first vegan Fourth of July, and I was not about to let that stop me from the all-American grilling fun.  I decided to entertain myself by holding my first ever fake meat competition.  The fun was planned for just me, because I’m pretty sure everyone on my dad’s side of the family thinks I’m crazy for cutting out meat and any other animal-based products from my diet.  I headed to my local Earth Origins Market, determined to find two different types of fake meat that would be competing against each other.  I was in luck - 2 brands were on sale.  I grabbed some Tofurky Beer Brats for $3.99 and some Yves “The Good Dog” fake hot dogs for $3.99 (which I just looked up online and read that “With added dairy, the Good Dog now tastes more like a real meat hot dog!”  Great.  Let’s just pretend we didn’t know that and continue on, since 2 Good Dogs are currently digesting inside my body).  I tossed in some organic hot dog buns, vegan potato salad from the deli, a 3 liter jug of sangria, and 2 vegan chocolate chip cookies from the bakery, and I was ready to roll out to my Uncle Curt and Lisa’s 4th of July Barbeque.

     When I arrived, I immediately prepared myself a refreshing glass of sangria with fruit and started to prep my “meat.”  (Have you every noticed that people call fake cheese “cheez” and fake tuna “toona” and ridiculous stuff like that?  Let’s call our fake hot dogs “hawt dawgz,” fake brats “brawtz,” and fake meat “meeeeet” for the remainder of this post.)  I became extra excited when my sister, Kristen, arrived, because I knew she was the only one who would play my Fake Meeeeeet-Off game with me.  I made her some sangria too, and then I sent my Uncle Curt off to cook up some hawt dawgz and brawtz.

     My Uncle Curt sensed something was amiss when my hawt dawgz started to grow some nasty bumps on them.  I still don’t know what was up with that, I guess something with the cazing on the dawgz.  I figured that meant that they were ready!  I put my dawgz on some organic bunz (JK, they were real buns) and topped them with my favorite simple toppings - ketchup and mustard.  I topped the brawtz with deli mustard and onions.




     Have I mentioned yet that I actually hate meeeeet?  I think it’s gross.  The texture is always wrong, the color is off, and the spices and/or flavoring is overcompensating for the fact that this is not actually meat.  Ew.  With my hate of meeeeet in the back of my mind, I tasted my hawt dawg for the first time.  Primarily, I wasn’t sure what to think.  The texture seemed surprisingly OK, and there was only a slight taste of “health food store.”  I took another bite.  Not bad!  Not bad at all!  My sister sampled and agreed.  So far, Yves Good Dogs are the best fake meeeeeet I’ve tried (now I know why - dairy - fakers!).  The brawt came next.  I was a little nervous, since the brawt was bigger, fatter, and grayer than the dawgz.  I took a bite, and all I tasted was confusion.  Is this good?  Is this gross?  Is this anything?  I took another bite.  I offered it to my sister.  She seemed confused, too.  Overall, I think it was pretty good.  The texture was OK, the flavor wasn’t overboard, and it only tasted a little “health food store” (more so than the dawgz, though).  Kristen mentioned that the brawt tasted a lot more “tofu” than the dawg, and I have to agree.  To me, that is a bad thing, since I hate tofu.


     My final decision in this competition is that it’s back to the drawing board.  The Yves Good Dogs cheated because they contained dairy and I didn’t know it.  That makes the Tofurky Beer Brats win by default, but I don’t want them to win, so I call a do-over.  Next time a grill is fired up, it’s going to be a VEGAN hot dawg vs. a VEGAN hot dawg.

     *You may be wondering, Lindsay, why didn’t you know there was dairy in the Good Dogs?  Are you an idiot?  The answer is no, I am merely lazy.  Recently, I’ve been looking past the ingredient lists and down to the “CONTAINS: DAIRY, EGGS, MILK INGREDIENTS, SOY, WHEAT,” etc. part of the package.  I guess this doesn’t work, because the Good Dogs package said “Contains: Soy and Wheat.”  I guess I have to get less lazy.

Annoying Apartment Neighbors

*Originally blogged on a different site on July 3, 2011

Question:  Where do you park something like this?



Answer:  NOT in the best parking spot.  For two weeks+.  (OK, I exaggerated - that’s the second best spot.  But still, everyone knows not to park something crazy that you aren’t going to move, ever, right in front of the building.)

P.S.

*Originally blogged on a different site on July 1, 2011

Diego asked me to post this.  He wanted to clear up the DIEGO IS NOT FRIENDLY thing I typed earlier.  Clarification:  Diego is scared of everything, so he has to bark at it to prove his might.  But once he gets to know you, he will cuddle with you all day and all night.  He will also try to lick you.

Sometimes I do not like things

*Originally blogged on a different site on July 1, 2011

When I first started this blog, I stated that I would be writing about things that I like and maybe you will like them too…etc.  Then I thought to myself, Lindsay, you love to dislike things.  You could write about that too!  

     No, no!  I replied to myself.  Nobody likes a complainer.  But you know what?  I am a complainer.  I will always be a complainer.  So now I am going to write about something I DON’T like, and maybe you will dislike it too, and then everyone can still be happy.

     This morning, despite being horribly sick (and with a nosebleed to boot, why?), my killer Chihuahua Diego was whining to go out.  I know, he’s so inconsiderate.  I stuffed a rolled up piece of toilet paper in my nose, got the leash, and headed out with my white fluff ball.  I’ve been living in the same place for over a year now, so Diego and I have our little routine and all of the neighbors know that DIEGO IS NOT FRIENDLY.  He barks and pulls at the leash and gets all anxious whenever other dogs are around, especially if he is trying to poop.  Everyone always gets offended about this, too, as if I purposely trained an attack dog or something.  So Diego walked out, casually peed next to the pee bushes, and then ambled over to the pooping area.  “Come on Diego, go potty before any other dogs come out!”  I tried to coax him to hurry up for both of our happiness, but no.  He had to smell everything.  Again.

     All of a sudden, I heard a sleigh bell…damn, not a sleigh bell, another dog’s clinking leash and tags.  Ugh.  A lady with a black poodle approached.  I’m pretty sure I’ve told her Diego isn’t friendly about 10 times.  “Good mooooooorning!”  She greeted us, Oprah style.  Diego greeted her back with a nice long series of barks.  I didn’t even bother telling her he’s not friendly this time, I just started walking the other way, pulling Diego along with me.  That didn’t last long, though, because here comes the girl with twin pugs.  They are twins because they are together.  I don’t like their barks, either, by the way.  They sound like Chewbacca or something else beastly.  She saw Diego and me struggling, so she decided to come at us a little more aggressively.  To prove how much better her dogs are than mine (or perhaps just because she is a little more friendly than me), she brought her dogs right up to Oprah and her poodle and they started chatting away.  Cool, whatever, I could still leave, and that was still my plan, but then this guy came up the sidewalk with a black lab.  I can’t say I’m surprised though, Dog People love to chat it up in the mornings.  (I hope you didn’t forget that there’s a huge roll of toilet paper shoved into my nose…)  I dragged Shmiegy over to another grassy area and demanded poop.  Right now.  To my surprise, Shmiegy complied!  He did two circles to the right, and ta-da! He started barking again immediately after, but I don’t care.  At least he pooped and I don’t have to go out there for a few hours.

     So I guess that this story isn’t actually about something I don’t like, it’s about something I do like.  I like it when Diego goes potty outside, even under extreme circumstances.

Allison is cool!

*Originally blogged on a different site on June 30, 2011

I am so excited that Allison is taking the time to make my blog beautiful!  I can’t believe how talented she is at this web design stuff.  It seems really hard, so I am extra proud of her.  She asked me some questions about my vision for the design, and then was able to create something that I love.  She might never admit it, but she is so creative.  Hit her up if you need a website, her company is named Green Tangerine Design.

Meet Diego

This is Diego.  Anyone who reads this should know who Diego is.  He doesn’t usually wear clothes, but sometimes he has to.

*Originally blogged on a different site June 21, 2011
 

Hello!

*Originally blogged on another site on June 21, 2011

This is my first ever blog attempt. I could blog about cooking, but come on. That’s being done as we speak by just about everyone who owns an oven and a computer.  I tried to think about unique themes - I love to cook and I’m a teacher, how about cooking and teaching? No that’s weird. I love to cook, I am vegan, and my boyfriend isn’t, that could make for some great adventures…. No that would probably give me some material for, like, 2 posts. Also, all the crazy vegans would be really outraged at me and they would say I’m not really vegan (which is actually true because I still use my leather purses and shoes and car seats that I bought before I changed my lifestyle). I love my dog and…. I don’t know. I couldn’t think of anything good. So how about, I like things and I will post things that I like and if you like me you might like my posts? We’ll see.