If you can’t take the heat..

 

 

..don’t cook in the kitchen! That’s my philosophy at least. The most I could handle cooking is boiling water for pasta – so why not make a pasta salad!

 

Hot Hot Heat Pasta Salad w/ Balsamic Mustard Dressing

For pasta salad:

1lb of pasta (cooked and cooled)

Jar of marinated artichokes

jar of roasted peppers

1 small head of broccoli

2 zucchini (halved lengthwise then sliced crosswise)

6 small sweet peppers – diced

12 oz can of chickpeas (or bean of choice) - drained and rinsed

2 cups of grape tomatoes – quartered

 

Mix all ingredients together and toss with dressing.

 

Balsamic Mustard Dressing

1/2 cup of olive oil

3 tbs of dijon mustard

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

2 tbs of agave nectar

1 tsp of dried thyme

1 tsp of dried basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

 

Whisk all ingredients together. Add more of any ingredient to taste.

 

 

 

Too hot in the kitchen..

 

..for anything. Even baking.

Normally I have an air conditioner in the house that cools everything off, but it’s currently in storage in Pennsylvania. This heat came at quite a surprise so SB and I didn’t bring the a/c back with us during our last visit. So now we suffer. Normally I don’t mind the heat, but the fact that there is no air movement at all makes for a very stuffy house.

So instead I’m doing my first MEME. I was tagged by Shellyfish because I have more than one tattoo and even though it’s 8am I would very much like to take a nap haha.

 

Here’s whatcha do (thanks Shelly):

1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?

Wow. Well five years ago I was roaming from renaissance faire to renaissance faire selling my pottery. It was a fun yet exhausting experience. Unfortunately I learned getting into business with friends doesn’t work all the time. But I had fun doing it!

What are five things on your to-do list for today?

1) Work. Bleh.

2) Go to the farmers market for some fresh veggies

3) Try not to melt into the ground when riding the subway home tonight.
4) Play my favorite game World of Warcraft. I’m an addict.

5)Open a bottle of my new favorite wine from Imagine Moore Winery. My favorite is the Harmony. Purrfect for hot weather such as this.

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1) Carrots and hummus.

2) Raw cashews.
3) Freshly popped pocorn with cumin and black pepper.

4) Roasted brussel sprouts with salt and pepper 
5)Raw banana date pudding.

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

It’s really, really hard to narrow it down to five things, but a few that popped in my head first are:

1) Pay off my debt, SB’s debt and my parents debt.
2) Buy a home on many acres of land with enough room to for all of my friends to visit and have rooms of their own to stay.

3) Open my own bookshop cafe. Granted, if I was a billionaire I wouldn’t have to – but it’s always been a dream of mine.

4) Donate as much money as I can to as many animal shelters as I can.

5) Finish the house in PA and give my parents enough money so they can retire without any worries.

What are five of your bad habits?

1) I leave shoes all over the floor in every room of the house (it’s like walking through an obstacle course).
2) I bite my nails.
3) I hate doing the dishes and will find as many excuses as I can to get out of it (so SB will do it hehe)

4) I can be overly critical of myself.
5) I’m very bad at budgeting my money.

What are five places where you have lived?

Hehe, well I’ve lived in Queens, New York my entire life. Couple of different towns but same borough..

1) Richmond Hill

2)Middle Village

3)Maspeth

I would absolutely LOVE to live in Philadelphia though. I love that area and every time I visit I wish I could stay.

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1) MicDonalds (my pre-vegan days)
2) Office manager at a music instrument repair shop
3) Computer tech at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the best place I have EVER worked)

4)Studio assistant and teacher for a pottery studio (the best job EVER).

5) Office/customer service manager for Le Poste and an international shipping company

Five people I tag:

Well since I don’t how many people actually read this, I’m going to go the same way as Shellyfish and tag those of you that:

1) Have had to bear the heat in your house without a/c these past few days

2) Are video game geeks.
3) Have more than one companion animal.
4) Have had their daily intake of coffee.
5) Want to be on vacation.

Let me know if you do this! I love reading about everyone.

Viva la Biscotti!

 

Yeah, I know biscotti is Italian not French – but I needed a title hehehe. I was so happy when Julie Hasson posted a recipe for biscotti on Everyday Dish. The biscotti I made is with cranberries and pistachios. Instead of using orange oil, I used almond extract. They are delicious!!!! I brought them with me on our trip to Naples, NY (I’ll post more about that later). They were a great little snack.

 

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti (take-off of Julie Hasson’s Orange Chocolate Biscotti)

 

Preheat oven to 350°F
Baking sheets lined with parchment paper

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup applesauce
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp. almond extract
little more than 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
little more than 1/2 cup of raw pistachios

1. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugar and applesauce until thickened. Add canola oil, vanilla and almond extract, beating until blended. Add flour mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. Stir in pistachios and dried cranberries, until mixed.

3. Divide dough in half. Turn out dough onto prepared baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, shape each half into a log, flattening the tops slightly. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until dough is golden and almost firm to the touch. Remove the tray from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

4. Transfer logs to a cutting board. Cut each log into slices. Place slices, upright, onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until lightly browned and toasted. The biscotti will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool. Let biscotti cool on baking sheet.

 

 

 

Life is never too busy for cookies.

I’ve been running around like a crazy person these past few weeks. I’ve hardly had time to think or sit, let alone relax. BUT I have always found time to make cookies. I guess you can say that I have had time to think and relax (baking is my way of relaxing).

I had to work on Memorial Day and as usual when the people I work with have to work a holiday, we have a potluck lunch. I’m fortunate enough to work with a vegetarian and a vegan so I always know there will be something for me to eat besides the things I bring myself. I’ve become known for my cookie baking skills, so it was demanded of me to bring cookies as my contribution for the potluck. I made Oatmeal Cranberry Raisin cookies, Peanut Butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies. They were all eaten in a matter of minutes. YAY! I love spreading the vegan love.