You cannot be sad...

when you have ice cream.

I have found a new love and we're going to be very happy together.

(Yes, yes, I know. It's been a few months -- all summer, really -- and I have a lot to tell you about. And I will in another post. I promise. The reunion was fine. Solid Sound Festival was amazing. School is off to a rollicking start. I'll do all that next week, but I need to get this off my chest now.)

If you know me very well (or at all), you know that I have something of an obsession with espresso. Remember when my last little humble machine died? The tears? The move to the moka? For you old-timers, the month of cappuccino experiments? Good times, good times.

When we moved from San Francisco to DC, one of the most difficult things was trying to find good coffee beans. Luckily, at that time, we lived right across from a Quartermaine. But then Starbucks moved in and Quartermaine closed the store and...well. Sigh. But then Peet's started their delivery program and all was right again with my world -- I could have good California coffee at home. And Trader Joe's moved into the DC area. No need to move back to California. Phew.

I've been pretty faithful to Peet's over the years. My three-pound boxes from Peet's come every month, and one of my favorite things in the world is opening that box and burying my face in its caffeinated bags. Happy. Happy. Happy. Of course I've ordered many a iced venti americano, extra shot, no room at Starbucks (who doesn't?) but I've kept true. I've heard about the local coffee scene (Murky and the rest), but I have been true to Peet's.

Until this summer, that is. First, it was intelligentsia at Solid Sound. The best espresso I'd ever had in my life. Fantastic. Amazing. Charles thought it was a little strong. Not me. Life affirming, that's what I say. Life. Affirming. I was an addict. Can't even count how many shots (and iced coffees) I had over the two days that intelligentsia was open. I even kept my last little paper cup. And I nearly shed a tear when the barrista poured the last of the coffee down the drain as the festival closed. He understood. He talked me down. (Actually, in retrospect, that was a little embarrassing.) We came back home. I made my iced espresso with Peet's and it was...okay. But I'd tasted something more. The bloom? Off the rose.

And then yesterday, I found my new love. Peregrine Espresso. I'd read a lot about Peregrine and was jealous of my hipster friends who actually get to visit espresso bars (two kids ruin my cred). But with the onset of the school year... We went for a late brunch (and homemade poptarts) at Ted's Bulletin on H Street, NW. Then we walked up Pennsylvania Avenue and, after a little searching, found my new home. The staff at Peregrine is very knowledgeable and extremely nice. The barristas are fantastic. I had an amazing shot of their Apollo. We came home with a pound of that and a pound of Espresso Aficionado. I've made the Aficionado as straight shots and as an iced americano now, and I couldn't be more pleased. Really. It is that good.

I just thought you might like to know. Also? I'm having an iced americano and a couple of squares of a Hershey's bar for breakfast. I'm nutritionally complete.

660 Pennsylvania Ave SE Washington DC 20003

t.202-629-4381f.202-747-5861

Hours Mon-Sat. 7am-9pm Sun. 8am-8pm (We should go for an espresso.)

Curse you, Martha Stewart.

Dangit. Why do I get that newsletter? Why do I ever go to that site? Why? Why? Why?!

Okay, now that the MarthaHaters (or MHers) have moved on to another blog, I have a confession to make: I really like Martha Stewart's staff, even if they scare me a bit (not intimidate. Scare.) A lot of it is over the top, and frankly, Martha is never going to do the kind of bedroom I'll love (I get a kick out of the subject line in the emails, though, so thanks for that.) There are some fantastic recipes and great crafts for all levels of craft expertise, and I've picked up a lot of basic ideas and tooled them into something I like even more. And, to her credit, she published my all-time favorite kid's magazine. (Which is now defunct. Bad choice, Martha. Body & Soul totally could have gone.) Also, my friend Scott (of Eat With Me) won her cookie contest a few years ago, so the woman obviously knows something.

Niceties aside, I hate that the site loads ridiculously slowly. (Why do you seem to hate photo optimization, friend?) I hate that her face is on my tool bar when I visit the site. (Logo, okay. Face, not okay.) I hate the tone of writing on that site. They do a very good job of capturing her voice, which grates. (A lot.)

This is a real love/hate/love thing.

My mom makes the best rhubarb cake.

You know what I really miss about living so far away from my parents? My mom's cooking. I grew up in awe of her abilities, and when I finally got my own kitchen I kept her voice in my head when trying new recipes (and ignoring recipes in favor of my own experience and ideas.) So far, it's worked out pretty well!

She makes this delicious rhubarb cake that makes me think about my grandma and grandpa, who lived in Manly, Iowa. My grandpa, a train engineer, used to have a very large garden. Rumor has it that he used to like to garden in his boxer shorts when it got really hot, and that he always waved hello to the ladies. Rumor also has it that my grandma, a pretty stern woman under the best of circumstances, did not appreciate my his naturally friendly nature. He died when I was only five or six, so I really didn't get to know him. I think I would have liked him a lot.

Eureka!

One cup Silk "Very Vanilla Soymilk" + one Safeway instant mocha pack + ice + a few minutes in a blender = a better frappucino thing thatn Starbucks makes. And I get to stay vegan.

Thank goodness for this discovery...my espresso machine died this morning (after six+ years) and I was feeling pretty glum...

Toward a more perfect vegan burger...

This summer, we're planning to stay close to home. No big road trips, no big visits...lots of time in the backyard and at the pool. If you're not going to have a lot of big adventures, you'd better have some pretty fantastic little ones. This makes perfecting summer food very important. To that end, I'm working on making perfect vegan burgers, so that when we invite non-veg friends over for cookouts, they don't suddenly have something important to do far away. (Also, several friends have recently asked me for vegan recipes, so I'm trying to accommodate them, too.) Let the experimenting begin! (I've included loose approximations of some recipes. Word of warning: I'm really not much for measuring -- I cook by feel, taste, and occasionally good sense.)

I started by making ciabatta -- very easy to do. In fact, I think it's probably the closest yeasted bread to my perennial favorite no-knead in terms of low effort. I've made burger buns before, but I really like the texture and taste of ciabatta much better...

I made tofu mayo, which is ridiculously easy and way better than the stuff in the jar. Ingredients: a box of firm silken tofu, a few teaspoons of mustard powder, a pinch of cayenne, a little agave nectar, a few splashes of apple cider vinegar. Whip that in the blender until it's smooth, then drizzle in good olive oil and continue to whip until it's very smooth and thick. Yum yum yum.

I make caramelized onions for a great pizza (caramelized onion-blue cheese-toasted walnuts), but since going vegan, that has -- sadly -- been off the menu. New use: burger topping. To make them, melt a tablespoon Earth Balance in a heavy skillet. While it's melting, slice an onion very thin (a mandoline gives perfect cuts for this purpose). Brown the onions in the

Earth Balance over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to get the brown bits off the bottom. It's okay if they get a little brown, but don't burn them. After 30 minutes, add a tablespoon or so of brown sugar and about the same amount of plain yellow mustard. Cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes. Done. Yum. (You might not want to wash this pan out yet -- I like to cook the burgers in the stuff left in the pan with a little added black pepper.)

Black bean burgers are painfully simple to make, but they do take a little time. Drain and rinse the contents of a can of black beans. Mash the beans in a large bowl (I use my hands to really mash them.) Add A1 sauce and your favorite barbecue sauce, then some breadcrumbs and some wheat gluten (Bob's Mill makes it -- you can find it in the health food section of many grocery stores.) Knead all ingredients together until you get close to the consistency of meat (usually a minute or two.) At this point, I grind in a lot -- and I mean a lot -- of black pepper, then knead for another minute. Form the mixture into a log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to cook, heat a pan (to medium high) and add oil (or use the pan you cooked the caramelized onions in, and add some pepper). Cut the log into 12 equal parts and shape each bit into a flat burger. Cook in batches, about 8 minutes per batch, turning each burger about 4 minutes in (make sure each side is nicely browned.)

To assemble your beautiful burger, slice a ciabatta in half , slather each side with mayo. Spread caramelized onions on one side, one quarter of a sliced avocado on the other side. place two burgers on the onion side, add a little more mayo, then top with some fresh arugula before adding the top half of the ciabatta. Some people like a little extra barbecue sauce on the side. I can't blame them. Some people also like a beer on the side. They are wise.

Coming Soon to a Home Near Yours (if you live in Cheverly)

I'm starting a garden this year -- seed to plant -- old school. I have no real experience (purchased potted herbs on the front walk notwithstanding) so I'm going at this DIY-style... I don't know the rules. I probably don't like them. Hope you'll visit punkrockgardenclub frequently and keep up with this adventure...and maybe offer some advice, which I may or may not take.

Happy Easter!

Dark chocolate birds' nests with chow mein noodles and coconut (and jelly beans!)

Happy accident: I was melting chocolate at the same time that I was boiling eggs (I know, I know -- courting disaster! That's how I live, babies. On the edge.) Well, I accidentally dropped several chocolate chips into the boiling water. Obviously the chips were not coming out (though I did try to fish them out -- even dropping a few watery, melty chips into the melting chocolate -- I'm still amazed that it didn't seize.) The outcome? These boring little white eggs were dyed a beautiful, delicate brown. It seems like a giant shame not to leave them this way, but I think that Paul & Maggie aren't going to go for the non-garish version of Easter eggs...

We have enough candy in this house to choke several good-sized horses. I am the only person who knows where the goods are hidden. I have demonstrated remarkable self-control this week, and should probably be rewarded with Cadbury's creme eggs. Now.

Raw Food Week

Yes, you read that right. It is Raw Food Week here at pricklygirl headquarters. I know, it seems crazy. But hear me out...

I've been vegan for a little over a year, a vegetarian for about two years before that. Lately, I've found myself rationalizing. A lot. Nutter Butters? Vegan. Oreos, too. The occasional scoop of ice cream? Close enough. I don't want to waste Paul's leftover Cocoa Crisps, so if I just skim the milk off... Obviously my standards have been bent. And even when I've been strict, my eating habits have not been all that hot. Breakfast and lunch? Several giant soy cappucinos. Several meaning a minimum of three, sometimes five. And by giant, I mean giant. This is frequently the only thing I consume before 3:00pm. Not a nutrition powerhouse, but hey, soy milk is good for you, right?

This winter I found some really cool books about raw food, chief among them, Ani Phyo's "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen". These books got me thinking -- it wasn't so hard to go vegan (easier than the switch to vegetarian had been) -- so why not go one step further? When I first mentioned the idea of going raw, Charles response, in a word, was "NO". Then he hit the accelerator. End of discussion. Thank goodness for libraries. I found "Ani's Raw Kitchen" at my library and brought it home. Left it out on the table. Charles noticed. "You didn't tell me about the hot Asian chick." Suddenly, he's a little more open to raw food. (Sidenote: She has a website, too.)

I'm on Day 3 of Raw Food Week (full disclosure: I am still having 1-2 espressos each day. I am not a masochist and everyone will be happier if I stay stable.) I'm the only one in the house doing it full-time: Charles has bread, soy mayo, a little cheese. The kids are eating pretty much what they always eat, but I am aware that I'm giving everyone more vegetables than normal. We're eating good stuff: gazpacho (lots of garlic), Asian cabbage slaw with apples, ginger, and almonds (and lots of garlic), nuts, chopped salads, dried fruits, lots and lots of vegetables (and garlic). I feel surprisingly good -- occasionally a little lightheaded, but a few apricots or nuts usually do the trick. The one thing I've been jonesing for is chocolate. Well, thanks to the cookbook, I'm able to fix that problem, too....

Mexican Chocolate Mylkshake

(This is based on Ani Phyo's recipe for Chocolate Mylk. I am not good at following recipes and think -- especially with raw food -- that experimentation way more fun than following rules.)

1/2 c. almonds
1/3 c. pitted dates

4 tbs. bittersweet cocoa powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. chipotle chili cocoa powder

2 c. water

ice cubes

Put everything but the ice in the blender and blend at high speed until very smooth (you don't want mealy almond crumbs -- yuck.) Add the ice and whip until thick and smooth. If you're not a spicy person, forgo the chili powder, but it's a nice kick.

Yum yum yum. So good that I couldn't wait to take the photo before scarfing it down. I have no self-control.

Looking for something fun to do this Friday night?

This is going to be lots of fun -- New Deal Cafe is a really great place, full of character and characters. It's family-friendly, and they have delicious Lebanese food, wine & beer. The only downside? It's not in Cheverly. But Greenbelt is only 10 minutes up the pike, and if enough of your friends and neighbors show up, it'll be just like home.

And make sure to visit the home of the hot noodles on the web...you can hear a couple of their songs and check out their full schedule.

thing-a-day 2009 Day 1

Thing-a-day has started, and I am on the ball!

February 1 (day 1):

* Red Velvet cupcakes for Maggie's Tea Party (and the SuperBowl ... the tea party was really just a cover to make childish cupcakes for grownups)

* Chocolate-cherry bread pudding for brunch with my mother-in-law, who also went to Tot soccer and witnessed Maggie actually kick the ball into the goal twice, which is more than Paul ever, ever managed

* Spicy white bean stew for the SuperBowl, which doubled as a knit-in (thanks, Kelly & Monica -- I love traditions!)

* Tea party cut-out paper doll chains, which Maggie and her friend decorated. They were all princesses. Big surprise, that. The girls also played lots of pretend games, all of which seemed to center around a mother and child going on an airplane and being left alone. I have no idea what that was about.

* Finally, progress on Charles' new hat. This is a replacement for the first one I made for him -- a long overdue Christmas present that I had planned to complete during homework in December. Unfortunately, it was comically large. I hope it fits my dad!

So that's Day 1. On to Day 2...I think I can finish the hat today!

This makes us seem so difficult...

From wikihow...

How to Feed a Vegan for Three Days or More
The following series of steps will help you to feed even the pickiest vegan coming your way. Be prepared to visit your nearest natural food store, eat some of this grub yourself, and thrill your vegan beyond words.

Steps
Prepare the first meal. You'll need to ask the vegan a bunch of questions outlined in the next step, but your guest might get hungry before you get a chance to do so. In that case, a great first meal option is spaghetti. You can get vegan noodles (easy, just check the package to make sure there aren’t egg whites or dairy in them). Check your tomato sauce to make sure that there isn’t Parmesan or other cheese in it. Mushrooms are a great vegan sauce addition, like your meaty meatballs, they can be cooked separately and added to the food at the end. One fun processed food product is vegan Parmesan cheese in a shake can. It is a fun addition to the table as a condiment for vegans. Make your own garlic bread with fresh garlic- instead of butter, use olive oil or vegan margarine (check for whey on the label) to mix and spread the garlic and salt. Get a simple sourdough or French bread; check the label for dairy or eggs. Steamed vegetables make a healthy side dish (use olive oil, don't use butter). This is a simple meal, and over dinner you can subtly find out most answers to the questions below.

Find out how strict your vegan is. The way to a vegan’s heart is through his/her stomach. There are a few questions that you want to ask a vegan before deciding what food to make them. Be prepared for your vegan to not be a true vegan, it is difficult to avoid every single animal by-product, and some people use the title “vegan” because it is easier than saying, “I am a vegetarian that eats no animal products, mostly no dairy products, no eggs, but I am not vegan because I eat honey and casein, and questionable milk chocolate if I am PMSing.” Onto the questions!

Do they eat cane sugar? (This question may result in a long treatise about how they sometimes use animal bones to bleach conventional cane sugar, even brown sugar, just stop them in their tracks and say, “I know, I plan on using unbleached organic cane sugar, I just want to know if you have a sweet tooth.”) If they do eat cane sugar, you are home free, almost everything you make for them the rest of your omnivorous family will be happy to eat. If they respond that they only use a little agave nectar or stevia, don’t have a sweet tooth, or don’t like sweets, we can still help you feed them, just be prepared to have two levels of sweetness, one for your family and one for them.

Do they eat casein (milk protein)? This will show you how serious they really are. Many people eat tofu cheeses with casein in them (sometimes as much as 20% casein). The casein tastes decent (to vegetarians), and melts when heated, separating it from much of the vegan cheese on the market. If they do eat casein, ask them what brand of “cheese” they eat. Buy that brand, it will make them very happy. If they are true vegans, they only have a few options. Your vegan may not want any fake cheese, this is a way to understand if they like processed foods at all. Some don’t. Many people find any soy cheese vile tasting and unsatisfying. This is not a good food to feed your family as an example of “vegan food,” they won't like it (use vegan ice cream instead).

Do they like fake meats? Some vegans have strong opinions on this subject. Others were raised on meat and potatoes, and those habits die hard. Tofu, Tempeh, and Seitan are great meat alternatives, but they require knowledge of how to make them taste good (this might be too much of a challenge for you). If you cook meat alternatives, cut them small, marinate, cook thoroughly, and serve hot. Fake meats are already flavored and can be a great time saver that can make a meal seem heartier.

What kind of milk substitute do they drink? Soy, almond, rice or none of the above? You can get specific enough to ask about brand if you want. Soymilk is easy to find, you can buy it anywhere now, and most major brands taste good. Many contain ample amounts of sugar, keep this in mind and apply the answer to the question about sugar. It is rare for vegans to drink a glass of soymilk with dinner; water, tea, carbonated beverages, (or in rare cases) coffee and alcoholic beverages are more likely to please. Soymilk in a vegan house is often used for baking, on cereal, in tea and coffee, and not for drinking.

Do they have any allergies or strong dislikes to other foods? If you are going through all of the trouble to make them vegan food, make sure that they are going to like it, and be able to eat it. Some vegans don’t like fruits and vegetables, so feed them what they will like, and then they won’t have that starved/pinched expression that will force them to jump ship for the nearest natural food store to eat packaged food in the aisle before they pay for it.

Proceed with purchasing and cooking food for your vegan, after answering all of the questions above and below.

Do they eat honey? If you're tired of asking questions, just don’t use it. Maple syrup and agave nectar are fine alternatives when you need a liquid sweet, just remember to check labels: granola, bread, and cereals are three places you often find honey. The vegan won’t care that honey isn’t around, but some will really care if it is in their food.

Do they eat whey? Just don’t buy products with whey in them. Whey is usually one of the last ingredients on many labels. Whey and gelatin can be sneaky ways you can feed your vegan things they really don't want to eat.

If a label goes on for a mile, many of the “natural flavors” as well as other ingredients you won’t recognize, can contain animal products and by-products. Stick to simple, less processed foods, your vegan will be happier, and you won’t go blind reading the fine print on those labels. Some packaged foods even have a V on them for vegan, this is rare but thrilling when you find one.
Do they eat non-organic foods? When cooking for a vegan, organic vegetables, fruits, and oil can be really important ways for them to feel at home in your home.

Do they eat white flour? Your vegan might prefer alternative flours like spelt flour (white spelt is amazingly light and yummy, but more expensive), whole wheat flour (prepare for hockey puck cookies and cupcakes) or no flour. Again, this goes back to the processed foods issue. Some vegans refer to white flour and sugar as “white death,” needless to say, you might think twice about feeding them these substances.

Discover a few different breakfast options. Breakfast can be very easy. Toast with peanut or almond butter, berries and tea is an excellent breakfast. Oatmeal with soymilk, raisins, berries and ground flax is also a great breakfast. Muffins can be easily made vegan. Granola or cereal with the milk substitute of their choice is a great option. Pancakes and French toast are two easy meals to make vegan. French toast in particular is amazing, no sulfur egg aftertaste, vanilla flavor rules, if you have a picky kid, they might prefer the vegan French toast recipe to normal French toast (just don’t tell them that silken tofu is involved).
How to Make Vegan Pancakes
How to Make a Vegan Smoothie

Have a few lunch and dinner options on hand.

Once you have an answer to the cheese question (casein, vegan, or no processed foods) a great lunch meal is tacos or enchiladas. The excellent thing about this meal is that you can have multiple kinds of shells (corn, spelt, or wheat) and multiple cheeses (dairy, casein, vegan, or none). People can build a taco or enchilada to their own food preferences and you don’t necessarily have to know exactly what those preferences are. Refried beans (watch for lard on the ingredient list) are a wonderful high protein food for all of us. Mushrooms, olives, tofu, tempeh, and walnuts are other excellent foods to add to this meal.

Summer grilling is a great way to feed your vegan. Clean a portion of your grill to be veggies only. Corn grills beautifully if soaked in a water-filled bucket for an hour first. Steamed artichokes are great for grilling. Portobello mushrooms become a burger themselves when grilled. Kabobs with a mix of veggies and meat alternatives marinated in teriyaki or soy sauce mixes are great. Vegan sausages and hotdogs are great, as are vegan veggie burgers (some veggie burgers have egg and dairy products in them). Make sure your burger/dog buns are vegan; check the labels for egg, whey, and milk products.

Soup and sandwiches can be a great lunch. Tomato soup with rice, miso soup with green onions and tofu, minestrone with veggies and noodles (make sure the noodles aren’t egg noodles). Veggie sandwiches lightly grilled with olive oil, avocado added after. Crackers to break up in the soup, or French bread with olive oil are a great way to fill out a soup meal. Sprouted grain breads (freezer section of natural foods area) for those with the healthy vegan gene can be used to make quite delicious sandwiches.

Curry is an excellent meal that can easily be made vegan but still really rich. Coconut milk, garbanzo beans, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, and tofu or tempeh work great for this dish. Most recipes are already vegan or can easily be altered to be vegan. Check chili paste ingredients for fish products. Curry powder is vegan. Use white or brown basmati rice to go with this meal.

Pizza is an excellent choice for most vegans. Buy or make pizza dough as usual. Great toppings for vegans include: basil, pine nuts, olives, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, spinach, onions, and peppers. Pesto made with basil, garlic and pine nuts without Parmesan is a great sauce, as is marinara. Even without cheese this meal is great for vegans, but if you have their fake cheese of choice, this meal becomes even better. Vegan cheese needs to be next to the sauce in order to melt effectively so make it the second ingredient that you put on the pizza if you are using this type of cheese substitute.

How to Make Basic Vegan Nut Roast
How to Make Hazelnut & Split Pea Vegan Roast
How to Make Vegan Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Make dessert. Vegan desserts are an area that has seen vast improvement in the last 10 years. The quality and quantity of available products alone is huge. For dessert, you can easily purchase a vegan version of whatever you eat for dessert yourselves. If you are having ice cream, get a pint of vegan ice cream. Some vegans report that Rice Dream is not as delicious as other ice creams on the market. There are also rich coconut based ice creams that are decadent. Vegan cookies are also widely available, both locally made, and commercial varieties. It is a great idea to have a pint or two of in season organic berries or fruit to offer in case they don’t eat processed foods or sweets. Those berries can easily be incorporated into breakfast if they do eat the ice cream and cookies. There are also some great cookie recipes on-line, just Google “vegan cookie recipe” and check the sources and citations below. Dark chocolate is often vegan (check labels for milk products and butter). Vegan chocolate chips are available in the bulk and baking sections of most natural foods stores. Vegan cupcakes are also very easy to make and extremely gratifying; the whole family will enjoy them.[1]

How to Make Vegan Cupcakes
How to Make Princess Cake (Vegan)
How to Make Cookies and Cream Vegan Ice Cream
How to Make Vegan Cheesecake with Tofutti

Remember that few vegans are alike in their food tastes. Do not expect that the next vegan you run into will have the same food tastes as your current vegan. A person may be vegan for nutritional reasons, for ethical/religious reasons, and/or for environmental reasons. In addition, they may be “freegans” (people who will only buy vegan, but if something is about to be thrown away, or is offered for free, they will eat it, even meat). They may be “raw foodists” this means they will only eat foods that are cooked below 110 degrees F, or are raw. Vegans may be really strict or not true vegans at all, they just use the label to simplify down to food choices that they prefer to eat as mentioned above. All self-described vegans are trying to do something that is very difficult, and it can seem like they are thwarted at every turn and treated like a second-class citizen at many restaurants. Imagine not being able to order 95% of the menu, or being told something is vegetarian or vegan only to discover it isn’t. It would be like if you were on a diet, and someone offered you a piece of cheesecake and promised you it was diet cheesecake with only 50 calories, and then after you ate it, they said it wasn’t diet and it had 500 calories, and they laughed. So if your vegan is a bit gun-shy about trusting others with food, it is usually with good reason.

Tips
Avoid mixing their food with meat residue. Some foods are processed on the same machinery as dairy foods, meaning they may contain trace amounts of dairy foods in them. If your vegan is willing to eat off of your pots and pans they will probably have trace amounts of dairy/meat products in their food anyway, so take this one whatever way you want, unless they said “no” to the first three questions above, in which case you will need to avoid most packaged foods anyway, and you may want to purchase a pot strictly for their food to be cooked in. If you never clean your cast iron pan, assume that your vegan will be able to taste some of the meat that you have cooked on there over the years. Try to use predominately one pan for your vegan during the duration of their stay, and make a point of keeping it somewhat separate from the meaty pans. If you hand wash dishes, clean their pan first before you clean the meaty dishes; the vegan will be so overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness he/she will not hesitate to return to your home again. (Which you may or may not want.)

Well, at least they got the part about breakfast and dessert right (we do like them!) But we just seem so...difficult (I wouldn't like me either with this list.) Gee, I know a lot of meat eaters that have waaayyyyyy more food issues than I do.

Now, back to The Joys of Vegan Baking...

What to do with the bounty?

We're at that point in summer where the vegetables are so plentiful and so good that there's a little overload. What to do?Why, minestrone, of course! This recipe from the New York Times is a great starting point. You can use pretty much any vegetable you have on hand (I'm making it with zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, sunchokes, carrots, celery, garlic and onions, plus basil, thyme, oregano...) And you can forgo the Parmesan rind if say, you're a vegan or some sort of freak. (Like me.)

I bet you're wondering where I've been...

I did not fall off the face of the Earth.

I did not fall asleep in a ditch somewhere.

The children did not win (though it's been close...)

I've been busy...

First, we spent a lovely weekend at Lake Gaston, Virginia with our best friends. The prettiest member of several Cheverly bands that you know and love and her very kind parents opened their house to all of us for the weekend. By "opened their house" I mean fed us, housed us and took us on the boat. Repeatedly. At all hours of the day and night. (Actually, I slept through that...)

And why, you may ask, did we go all the way down to the VA/NC border?

So that Things 1&2 could see their very first WILCO show!!!!!!!!! They had a great time. We all had a great time (even though the crowd, as Jeff Tweedy mentioned repeatedly, smelled very nice...but not like the pine trees surrounding the amphitheater. You know, concert nice.) Cary, North Carolina, has a great concert venue -- the Koka Booth Amphitheater. If you ever have an opportunity to see a show there, do it. The band was great, and Bon Iver, the opener, was really cool. I want to see them again.

On the drive between Lake Gaston and Cary, we went to Raleigh, which has a great comic book store. Any comic book store that employs nerds willing to find the perfect comic book for a three-year old girl is tops in my book. They had one copy of a Barbie comic book and we all made a big deal about it being rare in in plastic. Maggie was thrilled. The boy needed no help in the store... there was also a good used bookstore and lots of coffee shops. Fun, fun, fun. (But not as cool as Richmond, where we stopped on the way down to the lake.)

So we had a terrific long weekend with great people and I got more sleep than I have in months. Fantastic. And then...

JURY DUTY.
Okay, I'm one of those people who think that jury duty is a good thing. I've been called several times, but was never put on a trial. Until this week. All I'm going to say: Do not do drugs. Do not use guns. If you have to use drugs, do not use guns at the same time. We'll all be alot better off if you just take my advice.

Monday night, after a quick yummy dinner at Eat First, we went to see Grizzly Bear at the 6th & I Synagogue in DC. A band I'd never heard of, Violens, opened (but I will seek them out!) It was the most polite show I've ever attended, and we were probably the only people there who had to get home to a babysitter (thanks, Abby!) Also, Charles said that every guy in the restroom while he was there washed their hands. Impressive fans, Grizzly Bear.

My jury duty ended early (plea deal) and I went to a little coffee place in Upper Marlboro that I've driven past so many times: More than Coffee! They make an incredibly good black bean and corn salad -- warm, tossed with oil and lots of cumin, and served over lettuce. (And really good soy cappuccino...) So after a relaxing lunch and a stop to buy school supplies for the boy, we got to spend Tuesday afternoon at the pool. You know those days when the cold water is especially welcome because you've been laying in the hot sun? Yeah. And we ended last night with a fantastic vegan meal made by some new friends and shared with some old ones.

So. In less than a week, four bands. Three states. The pool. Lots of great friends and food. Civic duty. Not a bad way to wind down summer...

What to do with 50 tomatoes...

* Slice. Season. Eat.
* Chop. Make into salsa. Eat.
* Chop. Stew for several hours to make marinara. Eat.
* Slice. Make vegan pizza with pesto. Eat.
* Eat.
* Eat.
* Eat.
* Eat.

Did I mention that we got some peaches, too?