Vegan Peanut Butter Sandies

This cookie isn't your typical peanut butter cookie--no fork tine and crosshatched business required. Which is good, because having to maneuver a fork over balls of dough poses challenges for me right now. Simple baking only. One handed baking and cooking only. It's okay. These peanut butter cookies surprised me. They have a light, crumbly texture--even with the addition of my natural chunky style peanut butter. By my own insistence that I get back to baking, I stumbled upon this recipe in the New York Times for cookie inspiration. Julia Moskin was on a mission to recreate this cookie from City Bakery in New York. There are seventy-five comments regarding the cookie making attempts. I read them all (because why not). To make vegan, I simply used flax egg--with so few ingredients, it's really a very easy cookie to make/adapt. (I will admit that though I love a peanut butter cookie, just the thought of the measuring cup after sort of makes me not pursue it as regularly as I'd like.) What an insane concern. As a fan of peanut butter of all stripes, these have been worth the effort. I made them using my small cookie baking scoop. You will thank yourself later when you can't resist having another one.  

Took a little tumble a few weeks ago, and like THAT, I was in a cast. Broke my wrist, needed surgery, blah, blah, blah. The whole thing has been an awakening for me. My fifties so far have proven to be, well. . . I'm ready to skip into my sixties and forget this decade is all I'm saying. I'm not sugar-coating here nor do I need be reminded of how much worse it could have been. Were it not for my sister, my dear friends and my oh-so-patient husband, this ordeal may have been my undoing. We were on a hike, on a beautiful fall afternoon--the crispest, coolest Saturday we've had all year, then. . . DH saw me go down. Wrist was in a bit of a twisted and unnatural state at the end of my arm as I struggled to stand up, then came OMG! I broke my wrist! (and other choice words). Luckily I: 1) did not break my dominant hand 2) have an amazing orthopedic surgeon who saw to it that I was tended to per his direction in the ER and then subsequently operated on said fracture, and 3) had both a wonderful urgent care and hospital staff who utterly and completely took excellent care of me despite my cries, screams and moments of near passing out--and then made sure I was passed out to properly tend to the break: thank you!    

Other knitters/crocheters and bakers and people in general have had similar wrist break experiences. I know because I have read about them ALL. My first thought was: WHAT ABOUT KNITTING AND CROCHET: OMG! By my second week, there were fewer tears and woe is me-ing, and I finally picked up my needles and held them in my hand for the first time. 

Knitting Shoulder Cozy by Churchmouse Yarns.

Using Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball.

The Puppy. . .The Runt--a fitting term of endearment as we have realized: we definitely have a runt. She weighs in at under forty pounds and. . .we are past our six month mark. Her sister weighed almost sixty by this point. She is just adorable and smart and loves, loves, loves her very big sissy. Though I think there are times when she wonders: when will I get that big? Actually, she's perfect just the way she is.

Vegan Peanut Butter Sandies

*adapted from NYT / Julia Moskin

makes appx. 24 cookies with small 1" cookie scoop

1/2 cup vegan butter

1/4 cup plus 2 T. brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 T. granulated sugar

1/2 t. fine sea salt

1 cup chunky natural peanut butter (I used Smuckers)

2 T. ground flaxseed + 4 T. water + 1 T. olive oil whisked (to replace egg)

1 cup all purpose flour

*extra sugar and salt for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Get your cookie sheet ready with parchment paper. In medium bowl, cream together the sugar and vegan butter--then add peanut butter and flax egg--mix well. Then add salt and flour and mix until just combined--don't over mix. Scoop out in small 1' cookie mounds. They won't spread so no worries on crowding. Then sift together 2 T. sugar and 1 t. sea salt or flake salt in a small bowl and lightly sprinkle over each cookie before baking. Bake for 15 minutes--you want them to brown a bit around edges.   

Oh My Vegan Blueberry Pie with Perfect Double Crust Dough (and eight paws!)

In baking, like everything else in life, weather, moods and trips to the store dictate whether pie is in order. I'm that person who sees pies in grocery store cases and thinks: what a shame, why don't people bake their own pies anymore? Then crave pie all the way home. It's been humid and unbearable one day, dry and breezy the next so far this summer with very little rain. 

Hot days of summer or not--I was baking a pie this week. 

I don't know why I've always felt baking a pie is an all day affair. It never is. Pie memories I have are of a pastry cutter and my mother with a large bowl of flour and clumps of butter rolling about in pieces, seeping through the thin wires of the cutter, and of me asking for raw bits of dough to nibble on while she continues to roll through the process of butter, dough, shortening. Then her with a large wooden rolling pin (the same one I still use today), shaping a circle out onto the kitchen counter with a few flings of flour tossed over and under the dough before being carefully flattened into the vintage Corning Ware blue cornflower pie plate (the exact same pie plate I use to today). Then she'd take gobs of whatever fresh fruit was available at the store for filling and copious amounts of sugar. Peach pies more often than not, but for me--berries always in summer. It never seemed to be a big deal for her to just magically throw together a pie. 

The pies were always scrumptious. 

There are a few schools of thought out there as to whether pie crust is a butter only affair or a shortening AND butter affair. I am of the latter in terms of preference.

Nothing fancy. Use whatever design you'd like to vent the pie during baking.

Giving into my craving for pie the entire pie process comes together and bakes in about an hour and a half. The "half hour" set aside for mandatory cooling period for the dough. Eating of said pie commences after a good hour or two of cooling with a dallop of vegan vanilla ice cream: a la mode. Or saved for the next morning. . . for breakfast. (The best way to eat pie if you ask me.)  

This is actually my second berry pie I've baked in two days. 

And aside from pies: here's the newest member of the family. 

This is our last addition to the family what with all the aging we have left in front of us . . we are now two dogs, two humans and four hearts. She is a little under weight and has much growing to go. She is super smart. Her sister loves her, but is a bit too big to have "full access" for play time (because her paw literally covers the little one's head entirely). Supervised play only for the time being. 

She fell asleep on the exam table at her first vet appointment while getting her booster shots. 

Awww. 

The first day we ALL met her! Smallest. Sweetest. Big Sissy loves her, too. 

Now.

Yup. It's a whole new world around here.

Vegan Blueberry Pie

Perfect Double Crust Pie Dough

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (10 1/2 ounces by weight)

7 T. cold vegan butter 

1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

8 T. ice cold water

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Then cube the ice cold butter and shortening and using a pastry blender, work the dough until the butter and shortening are in small pieces--some larger pieces are okay--actually are fine! Then begin adding the water one tablespoon at a time, tossing the dough around with a spoon to incorporate the water. Begin to work the dough into a ball carefully with your hand--but don't "over handle" the dough--you want to be able to form a ball. Then divide the ball in half. Flatten each half into a disc, then wrap in plastic and place in fridge for 30-45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the filling:

6-7 cups frozen blueberries (*I only had four cups of blueberries on hand, so added frozen black and red raspberries to offset the amount--it works out fine--but I did buy more blueberries for next time)

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

2 T. corn starch

2 T. all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

juice of whole lemon

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare a 9" pie plate for baking. Toss all filling ingredients together in a bowl. Roll out pie dough on well-floured surface to a 10" in diameter circle--or wide enough to cover the base of the pie plate with a bit of overhang. Place dough in pie plate, pressing it in to fit bottom and come up the sides. *You don't want the crust too thin--about a 1/4" works well. Add the filling. Repeat with other half of dough and then place on top of filling. Fold the dough around the edges under and using your finger and thumb, pinch the crust closed. For the top of the pie, use whatever "venting" system you'd like. I just used a knife and cut out my own decorations, well. . . triangles. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 425. Then turn oven down to 350 and bake for an additional 40 minutes or until crust begins to brown. 

Allow to pie to cool for at least an hour before slicing. Store in fridge. 

Vegan Curry with Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas and Eggplant

I steered toward cozy, comfort food last night. My kitchen provides a respite for the chaotic world outside the door, and in our own personal lives. With my Spice Tiffin and my mother's vintage copper bottom pot at hand, I was able to whip up a wonderful, aromatic, flavorful, smooth not too-spicy-but-just-right curry. I added a touch of coconut milk to the dish just before serving. There's something magical about the addition of coconut milk to curries. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's a fine balance of how the flavors meld together before and after--the after being much, much better. This dish took me about 30 minutes give or take. I used my new favorite cookbook for inspiration: America's Test Kitchen Vegan for Everybody. 

The first step in any cooking direction I take when it comes to making curry is to add spices to warm oil. I always include brown mustard seeds. They impart a tart component that, once cooked down, evolve into a creaminess. Well, to my mind they do. Then you add a bit of this and that from the spices you see here. My general ratio is more of the Sweet Curry spice to the rest (I get mine at Penzey's)--and I add based upon my preferred tastes for the evening. I wanted a garam masala boost to this dish: warm cinnamon and cloves permeate this on the front end, but once I added in my second favorite curry seasoning: The Now Curry (again, from Penzeys), it came together very nicely. My motto in curry is: More is Better. I keep tasting until I find the right heat, flavor combo. Taste. Taste. Taste.

I only needed half an eggplant for this. I find I dislike the taste of eggplant heavy flavor. I bet that's why I love the addition of coconut milk to this curry.

The flavor boosters go in next: minced fresh ginger, garlic and onion (diced, not minced). Then the other veggies I have on hand: eggplant, sweet potato, some green pepper, a handful of green beans. It then is up to you as to whether or not you want to add a can of diced tomatoes. I usually do. I had a splash of veggie broth left over from the other night, and about a half cup of it was added, plus a little water. Then I added about a third of a cup of coconut milk and that's when the flavors really did their thing. 

We are experiencing our second flood in our community in fifteen months. I look at the map of the rest of the country and it's as if there is the vortex here in the middle that keeps circling around our state just daring us to keep dry. The photos above were taken on our single sunny day we had on Tuesday as the waters on the Meramec River began rising. 

She hates this weather. 

Meantime, I baked more vegan chocolate chip cookies. My End of World plan for survival. 

Vegan Curry with Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas and Eggplant

3 T. olive oil

1 T. vegan butter

1" minced fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves minced

1 onion diced

1 t. brown mustard seeds

2-3 t. curry powder

1/2 t. tumuric powder

2 t. garam masala

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium sweet potato cut into half moons

1 green pepper chopped

1/2 medium eggplant chopped into 1/2" pieces

1 can chickpeas

1/2 cup green beans

1/2 cup or more veggie broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1/3 cup lite coconut milk

Over medium heat, add oil and spices. When mustard seeds begin to pop, add the rest of the veggies. Simmer for about five minutes. Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer together about 20 minutes. Taste as you develop the flavor. If mixture becomes too thick, add more broth or coconut milk. Serve over rice.  

Homemade Chamomile Tea with Fresh Flowers from The Garden

The flowers of the chamomile plant resemble a carpet of mini-daisies blanketing a small, sunny corner of my vegetable patch. 

They're lovely, actually. Hardy, too.

Tonight I made my first batch of chamomile/mint tea. 

By the way, mint is the other "easiest herb in the world to grow"--you simply cannot kill it. 

Trust me. 

So back to chamomile: I snipped a small bouquet of the white and yellow flowers and placed them in my coffee mug with a few sprigs of mint leaves. I poured warm water over and set the timer for about five minutes. 

I strained the liquid into another mug, and like magic, we had homemade chamomile tea.

Your tea will taste nothing like the dried bags of herbal chamomile tea you may have tried. 

The fresh-flower variety of tea is very herb-y. A bit of a lemony taste, too. It's delicious. 

Chamomile tea is said to be good for helping ease stomach upset and to help with sleep.

The best chamomile herb to buy is one of German origin matricaria retutica, or so I've read. 

I basically used common sense and bought the herb from the nursery with the tag that said, Excellent for Making Tea! 

Side-by-side growing mint with green beans. I KNOW! 

But it works. 

Make sure you strain the tea. Once you do, you'll have this lovely pale greenish-yellow brew. 

Comfort in a cup.

In other news. This is Frankie. She's a giant. We just adore her and her sissy tolerates her. 

Gluten Free Mexican Casserole with Pickled Onions

This dinner should be called, "my-kitchen's-calling-me" casserole. 

Here' how this awesome vegan (oh and did I mention it was gluten-free, too?) casserole came about.

 I made a lovely pan of veggies and beans to use as my filler: onion, garlic, green pepper, mushrooms, black beans, corn and a can of tomatoes, plenty of cumin and oregano--spice it up to your heart's content. *I have a special Penzey's blend I use, too. Let this mixture simmer for a bit (let the juices reduce, too), and while it simmers, make the pickled onions: red onion slice thin, juice of one lime with a pinch of sugar and some salt and white vinegar--enough to cover the onions in a bowl. Set this aside. When you've finished the pickling stuff, begin layering the casserole by using a square dish, spread a bit of salsa over the bottom to begin with, then cover this with corn tortillas (you'll have to break a few in half just to fill in the corners well. In between the three or four layers you make, add a smattering of vegan cheeze in between for good measure, then top the casserole with a bit of the cheese and bake at 375 until bubbly, about 30 minutes. While this bakes, make your rice and guacamole you'll be serving with it on the side. This has been on our table at least once a week for the past few weeks now. 

You can see here what I'm talking about with the whole "layering" thing. Just keep layering until you run out of filling. You'll want to keep room at the top so while it bakes, you don't have oven spillage.

This is delicious and makes for an even better left over.  

March Gardening Chores and What the. . . Snow?! (And Books I'm Reading Now: Padma Lakshmi, and When Breath Becomes Air)

I'm so glad mother nature has a sense of humor. It's not unheard of to have snow in St. Louis in March or April for that matter. But this morning, it looked like a December morning when I pulled back the curtains and looked outside. The flakes were like wet cotton balls coming down. Very odd.

Finding My Voice and Strength Through Change (and a new blog direction)

Time is ridiculously cruel. How dare spring think she can rear her head up! It's only February for goodness' sake! Now here I am post-seven-years-of-solitude, and everything around me seems to be moving at lightening speed.

 I loved every minute of my time alone. Well, I wasn't exactly "alone" in the sense that I sat in my hovel worrying away every minute of the day in my own head--there were the dogs, my husband, our garden, the woods, books, my cooking, running, knitting. 

Every day had its ebb and flow. 

Mornings were set aside for morning stuff, like coffee (lots), reading, knitting, walking the dogs and running. 

It's Organized Chaos

I have spent the better part of these last few days "tidying up". The stories of people in my community losing everything to raging flood waters sparked something in my heart that said, "if that were me, how would I manage." Every year around this time, I go through and try to purge from life those items and things collected that might have worn out their welcome and need a new home. It's a long process of self inventory as well as physical inventory of what we have, what we need and what can simply go. For me, doing so is a luxury, for others right now, it is a forced experience brought on by the floods.
I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like.

This is a year of change for our household. My blog will serve as my "outlet" for navigating around this coming year and all it brings. I'll continue to highlight vegan eats as much as possible and toss in those sometimes "snarky" observations of life here and there. 

The year ended on a sad note for us with the loss of Annie. We spent a lot of time during the holiday reflecting on our life as a family of "many dogs" and how each dog we've shared our life with has shaped us, changed us and made us better people. 

We cannot ever imagine our lives without the dogs. 

Then the floods hit and we once again, reflected on life. 

How can you not when you see neighbors suffering through one of the worst disasters to hit this area since the floods of '93. 

People impacted by the flooding still need help and I read in this morning's paper the Red Cross  provided shelter to over five hundred families at the height of the disaster. The Salvation Army is also assisting families. Donations of items to the displaced are now being sorted and will be distributed. 

It is still beyond comprehension the loss.

Soon I was considering the "things" we have and hold on to. I function best with very little clutter, straight lines and organization. Simple is better. That little best selling book on the matter of "tidying up" is my manifesto when it comes to dealing with life as I have dealt with it over these fifty-some decades. Does it give me joy, no? Out it goes.
Well. . . not so fast: Hello, YARN! 

All yarn gives joy, does it not? 

And cookbooks and books in general, they give joy, too. Right?
According to me, the answer is YES. 

So my tidying up began in earnest with my yarn. Oh. The. Places. I. Thought. I'd. Go. (with my yarn). And the places I still think I'll go to with my yarn: brioche knitting (loved it, then hated it, then NO). Cabled pullover sweater, maybe. Tons of shawls I never wear, YES! Why so many shawls? Mostly because they are fun to knit, to manipulate, to look at in admiration as I: YO, p1 and skpsso.

Knitting works to calm my mind. 

One of the last things I do every night before bed is to knit. 

So the yarn stays.
All one full closet of it and dresser drawer.
It all stays. 

Saroyan Shawl I am knitting (has a beautiful leaf pattern along the side. Pretty!). 

On the wardrobe front, I pulled every single piece of clothing I owned out from my closet and placed them in piles: keep, donate, business, casual, long sleeve, short sleeve, workout, light-to-dark color--one thing became clear: I am someone for whom the color spectrum of black bell tolls. My closet consists of black (mostly), grey (second mostly), purple (third place), and a very few teals have come to be my staples. No yellows, blues, greens, whites or any funky horizontal stripes or polka dots either. 

I hate stripes and when they began to appear in fashion I thought the world had gone mad! 

Stripes should be banished from fashion forever.

My life already feels lighter.

Godspeed Annie (rescue lessons learned: a dog from the streets to our home. . . we were never the same again)

When we brought Annie home, or I should say, when I brought Annie home, it was during a time when I was knee-deep into "rescuing" dogs, doing volunteer work with a couple of local animal organizations. We had more than a few rescues at home already. But some well-intended person I had met within the "dog rescue world" mentioned they had a lab mix that had been returned twice for "behavior issues". I don't know why this statement fell on deaf ears. It broke my heart. At the time, I had absolutely zero tolerance for such humans and their intolerance of dogs. I was shocked, "She's not an ill-fitting coat for crying out loud!" She came home with me joining our already growing family of canines. That was fourteen years and many traumatic encounters ago. I have to be honest with you, Annie was a wonderful dog, but also a very flawed dog owing to some obviously flawed humans. 

Soaking Rains. . . Sewing Myself Sane (and Frankie is eleven months old today!)

The last time I saw the sun, or the last time I can recall seeing it, I spent a lovely, albeit, very hot day in the yard: mowing, pruning and . . . picking some delicious black raspberries for my smoothies later in the day.

 It's been horrible ever since. 

The weather forced me into needing some indoor therapy and productive days in My Sewing Lair. 

Days of happy harvesting and romping through the woods for good fruits.

Long . . . ago.

We're veering off the track of food and recipe sharing for a while. I have to be honest, I've been a single lady here at home a lot these past few weeks and finding solace in other areas of creativity--like sewing. Eating, not so much. (Though I did whip up a big batch of chocolate chip cookies and munch on those little guys regularly. I haven't completely lost my cooking/baking mojo.)

Nothing like a trip to the fabric store to cure what ails you, right? I've shopped for fabric lately more than I have for food. I can go hours and hours sewing. It's meditative to me. Time seems to slip by and suddenly. . . it's almost five in the afternoon. 

Like A Bridge over Water with Trouble

Week two. Today Frankie and I and her sister went to the park. And Frankie saw her very first bridge, and her very first creek. Will the wonders never cease? She was absorbed by this bubbling brook and this wooden structure prohibiting her from cascading head first into that funny looking clear stuff. It was precious. However, last night, anything but "precious" came to mind. 

Bringing Our Great Pyrenees Puppy Home! (Dear Sleep . . . Please Come Back)

World, meet Francine, aka "Frankie". Frankie, meet world. It's day four and eight hours of sleep later--TOTAL hours, just to be clear. Who needs sleep when you have this little precious soul totally dependent upon you. Oh the love we have poured into this hellion, sweet, sweet baby girl is beyond words. Well, there probably are words, I just haven't the brain cells right now to convey them. We picked Frankie up on Saturday. As you can see, she slept most of the way home. We made formal introductions to the pack, and from the get-go two things were abundantly clear. 

Here She Grows! (. . . this is the story of how we keep ourselves sane during August in Missouri)

Two weeks left before the "baby" comes home. We can hardly wait. The anticipation is made even more maddening (though we have no complaints) by the puppy updates we receive from our new girl's human mommy (because canine mommy doesn't have opposable thumbs, she can't send photos). The photo from the top is from this past Friday. The one below is from the week before. We can see every week the weight she's gaining--how big her paws are getting and how much her head has grown. 

Pyrenees puppy-ness is getting me through these miserable days of this summer. While I type, the temperature outside is at a chilly ninety-nine degrees with a heat index of 110! Not real keen on cooking at all here lately, I do have a pot of my homemade marinara filling the air conditioned tomb we're relegated to with yummy Italian aroma. So at least I was able to throw that together, or else we may starve. 

We're Expecting A New Member of The Family Soon So I'll Share Something Happy for A Change (and a reflection: My St. Louis, Missouri Today . . . My Gary, Indiana circa 1970s)

Well, we're preparing for the arrival of our newest member of the family in three weeks. My heart is melting over this. As you all know, Dr. Thyme and I have suffered several losses of our most cherished pets. And with each loss, we felt an emptiness that was difficult to overcome. Very. Difficult. Lots of tears. The last loss, Merlin, was perhaps the tipping point. The point at which we both looked at each other and said, Gee, it'd be great to have a dog for its entire life: from puppyhood to adulthood. Because truth be told, the time we have to share a life with a dog is never long enough.

Vegan Winter Salad of Quinoa, Radicchio, Cabbage, Tart Cherries and Pistachios with Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette (a return to running, there's a new guitar in town and why I used to love winter)

I keep our refrigerator continuously stocked with all of the greens necessary to whip up an impromptu salad like this one at the drop of a hat. Winter demands it, as I've found I feel one hundred percent better after consuming a meal of raw veggies (tossing in a bit of cooked quinoa amps up the protein level to boost my stamina). Mentally I need it. Physically I need it, too. The salad information will be covered shortly below if you care to skip this next part.

Vegan Italian Sesame Seed Cookies (thirty years and counting. . . BFFs, fried pickles and snow)

The serious cookie baking has begun. Last week, I was hard pressed to get something together to take as a hostess gift. I had stocked up on a bag of toasted sesame seeds I'd purchased on The Hill (St. Louis Italian food destination), in hopes of a cookie exactly like this. Little did I know I shared an affinity for the sesame seed. I arrived at my BFFs with gift in hand and we nearly ate the ENTIRE tray of these cookies before they ever made it to her mother's house! Some things never change: cookie love and best friends. I have made two more batches of this sesame seed cookie since then. Need I say more about their lusciousness? I've been savoring them in the afternoon as a mid-day pick-me-up and in the evenings with a cup of tea before bed. They are THE cookie of 2013. If you want to jump to the recipe below, feel free to do so. They come together in a snap and travel well, too. Meantime, let me backtrack a bit about girlfriend and me.  

Take Note: The" King Amendment" to the Farm Bill WILL Endanger Animal Welfare (at a minimum, it's ludicrous and cruel)

I navigate this terrain on tenterhooks. It's a very personal choice to be an animal activist or not. I don't wave a flag in front of my friends' faces proclaiming my lifestyle over theirs is better. I simply wish for a kinder approach to our existence as it relates to food production and consumption. Sure I'd love it if the world went vegan. But I am not naive. It's for this reason a piece in this morning's paper gave me pause. I thought I'd share some thoughts with you all as this holiday season ratchets up full speed and eating takes center stage.

BBQ Portobello Kimchi Burger (And. . . The Lampshade-Cone-on-My-Dog Saga)

So far in my lifetime, I've survived without ever having tried Kimchi. Well. That's now changed. Kimchi is a Korean condiment much like ketchup is to us. (Or so I've read.) It's fermented cabbage with spices and whatnot, and a flavor that is somewhat hard to describe (sour-ish, tart, spicy, bitter--but in a good way.) It made this burger taste out of this world and has become a new family favorite for all things needing "just a little bit of something" on it. The Kimchi in our neck of the woods comes in "spicy" and "mild". I went with "mild"--though now that we've been initiated, I'd go for spicy next time. I cannot tell you the number of times I've walked right by this little jewel of flavor in my produce section. I've picked it up maybe a dozen times and hemmed and hawed and thought, "I know I've read about this, but what exactly am I to do with it?" I am now Kimchi inspired.

Godspeed Merlin, a.k.a. Best Boy Ever (Canine Degenerative Myelopathy Disease and The Final Year)

Merlin was our first boy dog. He won me over thirteen or so years ago when I was "walking" him while he served time at the city pound. I continued visiting, walking, encouraging, hoping he'd find a forever home. No such luck. It wasn't for his lack of trying. He was an incredible flirt. The minute I'd bring him out of his cage, he'd literally nudge me into a corner, sitting like a good boy, and wag that darn tail. I was won over immediately, but we had a house full of dogs by then and I didn't think we were ready for another one, much less bringing a boy into the mix. Our interludes went on like this for about two weeks (me begging the shelter to keep him "off the list". . . he's totally adoptable, just give me time) until one morning I went in and was confronted by the staff and told, and I quote, "Your boy's time is up." Wow. I had no other alternative. In the car with me he went. We had our first boy.

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Melts (I've put my hormones on "notice". . . and pass me more hot sauce, please!)

If anyone ever tells you menopause is "easy", turn around and smack them. I am on the door step of fifty. The. Door. Step. I am not ever going to state exactly when this milestone hits. That little blog section of mine entitled Almost Fifty will quietly be switched to something like On Death's Door. It will be quiet and uneventful. You might notice it one day and be shocked to see such a dramatic "label" within my search box. But it will appear and the day will have passed and all will roll on as it has: Sporadic postings of food and life ramblings. The usual. But with a tad more urgency perhaps. 

The whole idea for the Vegan Buffalo Chicken thing came about because I was a ravenous, menopausal mess. I wanted really BAD food, but in a good, vegan way. (We all know being vegan is not a panacea for all of life's ills, but just knowing we're at least trying by sticking to the whole "only plants" theme does ease the mind a bit, especially when you're talking about one of my past life loves: buffalo spice anything!)