Take Me Out to the Ballpark Pretzels

I have fun making special occasion meals, and one way I’m trying to make more special occasions is to find theme foods to make. Lately, it’s been all about baseball.

Saturday night, we watched the Phillies lose their chance to go to the World Series. Honestly, I didn’t care who won. Alex, though, is a Philadelphia native and he was pretty let down. Thankfully, we had homemade soft pretzels to console us. I ate a lot of soft pretzels living in Philly – I used to get a breakfast deal that was a soft pretzel and coffee for $2 most mornings.

Oddly enough, I have another connection to pretzels, too. When I was younger, I worked in one of those pretzels shops in the mall. Yeah, you know which one. I had to sign a some kind of agreement that I would not work at another pretzel shop for however many years (a time almost certainly expired by now). That’s funny to me because I never even knew the pretzel recipe; we would “drop” dough by emptying a large packet of pre-made mix into a mixer with some hot water. I did, however, learn to roll and shape the pretzels.

This time, I used Alton Brown’s recipe with only the slightest of modifications (half whole wheat flour, Earth Balance instead of butter, no egg wash) – and they were amazing. I boiled them, as he directs, which I have only done in the past for homemade bagels. I halved his recipe, and I’m glad I did because I made four big pretzels and they, unfortunately, did not make good leftovers. These pretzels were best right out of the oven. With yellow mustard.

I was also hoping to have ballpark-style nachos, too, with a splurge on Teese Nacho Sauce. I was very disappointed that one of the only stores in town that stocks Teese didn’t have any nacho sauce. But these pretzels did not disappoint.

I’ve already shared my love of beer and peanuts. Do you like ballpark food? – and do you try to bring it home?

Apple Farm, Pumpkin Patch, Corn Maze

This weekend, along with too many other fellow Cincinnatians, I went to a corn maze. This has become an annual event for us, and one that Alex really enjoys. Whereas I remember it being crowded, with lots of lines and little direction about where to pay or what you are waiting for, Alex likes navigating through the maze. He likes puzzles.

Before we set out, we had a hearty brunch of tofu scramble with mushrooms and spinach, some facon, and apple rosemary scones.

I took this photo this morning with a few leftover scones. Speaking of leftovers, Alex’s sister was visiting and I sent her home with several of these, but the leftovers at our house are going fast.

I used the recipe from Vegan Brunch with the addition of fresh rosemary and apples (skin on, see the flecks of red?). Yum, yum yum. I think the key is shortening, which I have not used in ages. I did get the special non-hydrogenated kind rather than using Crisco, though. I’m not much of a baker, but I think I’ll have to make some regular biscuits too. I feel like I have all the ingredients now that I have white flour and shortening in the house again.

The corn maze was fun, especially for Alex. He posed for many, many goofy photographs. But we found our six hidden boxes, punched our cards, and earned a free mini-cup of cider.

Food-ful Weekend

Some weekends, I cook a lot. Some weekends, I take it easy and we go out or eat leftovers. This weekend had a major focus on food.

First, Saturday morning, I went to Books by the Banks at the local convention center. This is a celebration of books and authors with a several discussion panels, and the authors were available to talk and sign their books.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tamasin Noyes of Vegan Appetite, author of American Vegan Kitchen. I attended her panel, where she and three other cookbook authors talked about their books and answered questions. I was really pleased to see that when the moderator opened the floor for questions, the first few questions were for her – even if they were “what’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?” and “my vegetarian friend eats fish and chicken.”*

My favorite part was when the moderator (a chef himself) asked Tami to talk about the flavor gap between meat and vegan dishes. Tami responded, “Good food is good food.” The moderator looked disappointed and unconvinced, but I think the audience’s curiosity in veganism showed his disappointment was unfounded. I loved her answer. She was a great representative for veganism in the Porkopolis.

Saturday night, we had a special visitor – Alex’s sister came into town. Being around this much family is absolutely spoiling me. We talked about going out, but we decided to eat at home instead. She was happy to have some home-cooked food and was amenable to me wanting to use up my produce bin. My wish was my punishment, though, because I stayed at home cooking while they were out playing.

Roasted butternut squash with whole wheat orzo, basil, pine nuts, and lemon.

I had a butternut squash and some collard greens I wanted to use, so I did a quick search through my Reader and found that many blogs have mentioned butternut recently – including some non-food ones! I made two recipes straight from the blogs.

First up: Lemony Orzo with Roasted Butternut Squash and Pine Nuts from Clean Eats in the Dirty South. I love roasted butternut, and this seemed like a filling main dish and it did not disappoint.

I made a side of collards with garlic, dried cranberries, and pine nuts, and I still let them cook for almost an hour (cranberries and nuts added at the end). Alex’s sister mentioned that she doesn’t like vegetables that are cooked for too long, but I made these collards for me. This is what happens when you marry into a family from a different part of the country. No kidding, when I getting ready to move to Philadelphia my grandfather told me not to fall in love with a Yankee. True story. Plus, I had never eaten green beans that were still crisp until I had the ones their mom made.

My plate: equal parts greens and squashy orzo

Also: Curried Squash Hummus from The Kuntrageous Vegan. I used some of my butternut and also an acorn squash, along with some chickpeas and copious spice and heat. This actually got hotter after I tasted it, so this was a pretty fiery dip. But delicious. I was digging in on this before Alex and his sister got home. We ate this with some delicious fresh bread from Shadeau Bakery.

Curried squash hummus. I popped this in the oven to keep it warm and it developed a delightful crust on top.

This was a great weekend, and fall has arrived. Saturday I had a big butternut, and now I have plenty of squash leftovers to enjoy.

*I know this isn’t even a question.

Muffins, muffins, and flavor combinations

This Labor Day weekend is going by in a blur for me. We’ve been enjoying much cooler weather, and I took a little urban hike through the Mount Airy Forest on Saturday. Sunday I went to the movies and finally saw Avatar. Let me tell you, the 3D Imax really strained my eyes and that movie took up almost my whole day between driving to the suburbs and back. I know, first world problem. While I was out there, though, I stopped by Jungle Jim’s International Market and loaded up on all kinds of goodies.

The fun thing to report, though, is that I made two batches of muffins. First up, my favorite zucchini bread recipe from Vegan Brunch, zucchini spelt muffins. I remembered that I like having muffins around, so I decided to make some another recipe.

When I was getting ready to make the oat balls, I asked Alex what his favorite nut was, but I didn’t tell him I intended to make the balls. Not unexpectedly, he said pistachio – which I should have known already – but he carefully restricted his answer by asking why needed to know about his favorite nut. He said he wouldn’t want pistachios in blueberry muffins, for instance.

So, I made blueberry muffins with pistachios.

I might not have been so eager to try what I had been warned against, except I had recently seen several pairings of blueberry and pistachio over at Seitan is my Motor, including muffins. Not only did baking the pistachios give them a wonderful texture, but they were a great and colorful companion to the blueberries. I might have to see if I can find more good blueberries this late in the season and try another recipe.

Now Alex says he wants to combine two other unexpected favorites, Pad Thai and pizza. Any ideas?

Sloppy Joe and Lazy Sunday

I hope everyone had a good weekend! I can’t believe it’s almost Monday again, but last week flew by for me faster than any I could remember before. I guess I’ve reached that age when time starts going by too quickly.

I spent a little time this weekend cleaning for some company that will be here shortly, but I also played some bocce ball and went to the Taft Museum.

You can hardly see me there! Today was the final day of an exhibit on Pictorialism and they were encouraging visitors to bring their cameras and take some photos. I asked Alex to take a photo of me. I took a photo of my car. I got a primo parking spot!

After the musuem, I had a quick meal of sloppy joes and steamed vegetables, along with some pan-fried potatoes coming into a second life after being boiled. I use the Fantastic World Foods Sloppy Joe mix, and that’s a favorite in this house. Sometimes it’s more tomato-y, sometimes less (depending on whether I remembered to purchase extra tomatoes), but I always like to have it with grilled onions and it’s a dependable quick favorite.

On the weekends, sometimes I get the desire to make an involved meal, and other times I want to go out. As much as I like to cook, sometimes I want a break – and lately, I’ve wanted that break on Sunday nights.

Do you have a favorite quick meal, or any shortcuts to share? For me, it’s either pasta and quick veggies or something like this sloppy joe. Sometimes this kind of predictable meal is just what I need.

Quick & Easy Cheater’s Chili

I’m all for convenience foods, on occasion. As much as cooking can be relaxing, I often feel pressured to get a good meal on the table. The more I cook, the more often I’ve heard Alex (meaning well) tell me that he’d rather have whatever I make over whatever we can buy going out.

There’s other reasons to eat at home, too, though. It’s often cheaper than going out. I do have some restaurant reviews coming up, and I go out sometimes even when I don’t post – like last night, I went to Lavomatic with some friends after a discussion group. I’d already eaten supper before I went out, and I spent $20 on a glass of wine, a bowl of gazpacho, and tip. I don’t know that I’ll ever be at a point in my life when I can do that regularly.

This is cheap, easy, and tasty. I threw all these ingredients into a slow cooker during a break from work: Bush’s chili magic chili starter, Boca crumbles, chopped onion, and canned crushed tomatoes. After this had cooked a while, I added frozen corn. Serve with leftover cornbread. I like it with Fritos, too.

This warm meal is good even in the summer, and it’s one of Alex’s favorites all year round. We compromise: one night okra, one night chili.

Here’s a shout out for something I’ve read on a few different blogs: blueberry smoothies! I’ve been having smoothies all summer but I normally stick to strawberry or spinach with my banana. I used some of my farmers’ market blueberries to make a delicious smoothie this afternoon.

Blueberry smoothie in my blue glass: banana, ice, blueberries, soymilk. Simple and delicious!

I love stepping outside and enjoying a nice smoothie and a break from work. Everyone have a great Friday and a better weekend! I hope I didn’t sound too tired in this post, it’s been a bear of a week for me.

Minted Tomato Salad

This is a recipe straight from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. I made this last summer with some fresh tomatoes and was hungry for it again, and this is better when the tomatoes are really good and ripe. I made this yesterday afternoon right after my trip to the farmers’ market.

The recipe includes feta, but it’s just as good (better!) without the cheese. I planned to use the leftovers on pasta, but alas, there were no leftovers.

This is a simple salad of tomatoes, red onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh mint and basil.

We gobbled this up on baguette slices. I love piling the little slices high and getting the bread soggy with the tomato juice and balsamic.

Weekend Getaway in Louisville

I love the internet. Love, love, love. You can find just about anything.

This weekend we took a little road trip to The Abbey of Gethsemani and Bernheim Forest in central Kentucky and spent the night in Louisville, which is just about 90 minutes from where we live now. I don’t know where we would have eaten if I hadn’t been able to search for good vegetarian food on the internet. We found two good meals in Louisville.

For dinner Saturday night, we wanted something simple and filling after a day sweating and hiking at Bernheim. I found the Third Avenue Cafe, read some reviews, perused the menu, and confirmed that they serve beer. There were several selections on the menu that looked promising, and they make it known that everything is homemade on the premises, and that they have a dedicated fryer for meats and a separate one for non-meat items. They also specially mark vegan items on the menu so you don't have to worry about your sauces or anything else. That's nice.

We did meet the Elvis on the bench as we walked in, but we sat outside on the patio along the sidewalk. We started with the portabella strips appetizer. This was thick strips of portabella, a whole mushroom cut into half-inch slices, then lightly battered and fried. The batter was very, very light. Lighter than the lightest tempura I’ve ever had. The mushroom was juicy and flavorful, and the horseradish sauce was a delightful touch, although giving each of us a cup of it was more than is necessary.

I considered getting the black bean burger or tofu burrito, but each of those dishes are something I can quickly get at home. Instead, I opted for the barbecue tofu sandwich and Alex got the veggie Reuben. Each comes with a choice of chips, fries, potato salad, cole slaw, soup, or soybean salad. Because I was getting barbecue, I opted for the honey mustard cashew cole slaw.

Our waitress, who attempted to memorize our orders, brought me the potato salad instead. I asked about the slaw and she blamed it on the cook (ah! we saw on the receipt that she entered potato salad). My point here is this: the potato salad is in the photo, but I didn’t eat any. The cole slaw was okay, but kind of limp and not special. The potato salad looked better, but she took it away, so there’s no sure way to tell.

As for the tofu, it was okay. The barbecue sauce was good, sweet, and sticky. And messy. The sandwich was mostly bread, and the red onion dominated the flavor. I must say, though, that the bread was good. They say it’s homemade tomato foccacia, and it was tasty. That said, I’d still rather have the yee-haw barbecue seitan sandwich at Melt.

Alex’s sandwich, on the other hand, was amazing. The marbled rye bread was toasty and tasty, and the sandwich was mostly sauerkraut. There was a flavorful, thin layer of smokey tempeh, some Thousand Island dressing, and some soy-Swiss. This sandwich was perfect. I have never had an actual Reuben, but this was a really good sandwich in itself. His chips were also good. So, there was a typo on the menu and it gave one choice as “homemade mesquite potato chops.” So he asked for the chops. The waitress giggled and said chips. These thick-cut chips were good and came with some kind of ranch-dill dipping sauce that was yummy.

So, all in all, Alex’s selections were the winners. The good news is that we now have a lunch/dinner stop for when we drive through Louisville. We were actually commenting to each other when we were driving home from Saint Louis through Louisville that we didn’t know of any good places to stop, and this could easily be a stop when we drive through on our way to Memphis. It also shows that even these small cities have gems for vegans and vegetarians.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

I had some blueberries I wanted to use and asked Alex whether he’d prefer I make pancakes or muffins. Secretly, I hoped he would say pancakes because I thought that was easiest. Maybe I should have just made pancakes for us, but I’m glad I didn’t! The muffins were just as easy, plus they make for better leftovers. I had another one this morning.

I used this recipe I found online and just substituted whole wheat flour, soymilk, and an Ener-G egg. Perfect! Now that I’ve made muffins twice in the past three weeks, I’m getting into a baking mood. I would be more excited if it weren’t coinciding with the summer heat.

Biscuits & Tofu Scramble

My favorite brunch place has been letting me down lately, so I decided to try cooking up a little something at home. This was my first attempt at tofu scramble. It was delicious. No, it was really, really good. Better than what I get at that restaurant, and not just because I didn’t have to eat it cold.* The spices were perfect. The texture was perfect. Yum, yum, yum. Another wonderful dish thanks to Vegan Brunch.

It’s simpler than I thought it would be. You start off by heating some oil and garlic, then crumbling in your tofu and cooking it for a while. Make your spice mixture separately: cumin, turmeric, salt, thyme, and combine with water. Then add the spices and some nutritional yeast to the tofu and cook another few minutes. Voila! It would be really easy to incorporate other ingredients as well. I’m thinking onion, peppers, tomato…

The biscuits were ordinary drop biscuits, with soymilk substituted. I guess I should also start looking for my favorite biscuit recipe now, because I think I’m going to start making my own Sunday brunch from now on.

Update: this is even good cold. I might have had a few bites of leftovers right out of the fridge.

Zucchini Spelt Muffins

I see it happen every year: people are inundated with zucchini in the summer and are looking for new recipes to use it in. I’ve never been overloaded with zucchini and have never, either of necessity or of interest, tried many zucchini recipes. I’ve steamed it, baked it, had it fried and not-fried, and put it in a pie. That’s a pretty thorough list, right? It’s missing one big area: zucchini in breads.

Not only was making zucchini muffins a good way to use the zucchini, but this was a good way to make a dish that was great to have to eat as a quick snack or breakfast (for as long as the dozen lasted!).

This is yet another recipe from Vegan Brunch. I’ve been cooking enough lately with “different” ingredients that I’m familiar with everything it requires, and had most of it on hand. These muffins are made with spelt, which gives them a healthy nutty flavor and also is really easy to work with.

Just add some spices, soymilk, flax seeds, spices and a little brown sugar and oil along with two grated zucchini and bake. Here's a tip for grating the zucchini: you don't need to trim both ends before you grate them. Just trim one and hold the other one while you grate! These were delicious, even to me a zucchini break newbie. They were somewhere between a sweet bran muffin and a crumbly wheat bread, but they are all together delicious.

Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Dip

Does not buying pre-packaged hummus trump using canned beans?

I know it doesn’t look like much but this was good. I oven-roasted half a red bell pepper (left over from last night’s dinner) and blended with a can of cannellini beans, some smashed garlic, salt, and good extra virgin olive oil.

I made flat bread with this recipe to go with it using half whole wheat flour and half white flour. Luckily for me, I get done with work pretty early and can get started on the dough right after work. As most of the trouble with homemade bread is the rising time, that’s not a problem and everything came together in a couple of hours.

Are you ready? A good home-cooked meal

I went to Trader Joe’s on Sunday because I was craving tofu and I like theirs the best. While I was there, I also picked up a cauliflower and a bag of “Southern Greens.” I was craving kale but they didn't have any. Instead, I got a mix of mustard, collard, turnip, and spinach greens, pre-cut and ready to cook. Finally, I got a boxed mix of cornbread. I hate to admit it but cornbread is one thing for me that never turns out right if I don’t use a mix. The TJ’s stuff is really good, though, light and just sweet enough.

I roasted the cauliflower in the oven after I brought out the bread. The cauliflower was just tossed with canola oil and salt. This has become one of our favorite vegetables.

I did the greens like before: put in a large pot with about a cup of broth, some salt, and some oil. Cook about 10 minutes until wilted, then finish with some cider vinegar.

I pressed the tofu before rubbing it with spices. I’ve found the Trader Joe’s tofu doesn’t require freezing the way other brands do. So I wrapped it in a dish towel and placed it between two plates, topped with a cast iron skillet to weigh it down, and left it there about half an hour. Then I sliced it in thirds and rubbed some spices on it. I used “Texas Grill” from a spice blend shaker. (I know, cheater!) It’s mainly black pepper, paprika, onion, and garlic. I just grilled this on a grill pan.

This is the kind of food I missed while eating so much quick food while moving. And don’t worry – I have plenty of new recipes ready to try! We actually moved the items in the garage to the new place after work, so this was still a quick meal between other obligations. Even so, it was so much more satisfying!

Vegan Baking: Spelt Bread

I’ve been more and more interested in baking breads after reading a few labels and seeing what’s really in packaged loaves, and I’ve been encouraged by my success in making pizza dough and naan. So this cold evening seemed like a perfect time to turn on the oven and bake some bread to go with vegetable soup.

As I always do, I perused a few recipes on the web and chose this recipe for easy spelt bread. Indeed, it was easy. I actually cut it in half and it turned out wonderfully. Mix spelt flour, sugar, salt, yeast, sesame seeds, and warm water. I kneaded this with my mixer’s dough hook and it came together quickly. I followed two instructions: one, not to overknead; two, to punch it down after it rises. If I were to do it again, I might not punch it down and instead let the bread reach it full fluffiness.

Why spelt? Glad you asked. Back when I was looking for homemade pasta recipes, some of the recipes called for different kinds of flour. I picked up some spelt flour from the bulk bins at Whole Foods and then realized I needed something else. I’ve been looking for a use for this spelt ever since.

I really liked this bread and will likely make it again. From what I can gather, spelt is closely related to wheat but is considered an “ancient” grain, so eating it helps support biodiversity. It’s more flavorful than wheat, having a nutty and sweet flavor that can’t entirely be attributed to the seeds and sugar in the recipe. I enjoyed it warm from the oven with a little spread and salt.

Served with vegetable soup. I used those carrot tops I'd been keeping to make broth, along with other would-be discarded veggie parts, and some frozen lima beans, corn, green beans, onion, and potato. And okra in mine. Yum! What a great dinner for one of those cold winter nights in March when spring can’t seem to come soon enough.

Kidney Bean Stew with Cauliflower and Coconut Milk

I was hungry for some good, real, food. Lately I’ve eaten an embarrassing amount of frozen pasta and had several dinners out that I’ll be telling you about soon enough. Sorry for the lack of posting lately; I haven't been in the mood for much interesting food.

I wanted to make good stew or soup, and I adapted this recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. I put it together after work, so naturally I did not use a slow cooker – instead I cooked it on the stovetop.

I started by putting several ingredients in the food processor: onion, jalapeno, garlic, and ginger. It turned into a green slushy mess. I’ll have to say, though, that this was a nice alternative to having chunks of translucent onion like I normally do in the soups I make. I’ll also say that I was worried about the soup being too spicy with the jalapeno and cayenne, but it was not too hot. It was great. The potatoes and coconut milk really mellow it out.

Yes, this stew is spiced with cayenne, as well as mustard, turmeric, allspice, fennel, and cumin.

To this, I added diced gold potatoes, cauliflower, kidney beans, diced tomato, and broth. I simmered on the stovetop while the potatoes and cauliflower cooked. A few minutes before serving (just long enough to warm it through) I added canned, unsweetened, ccoconut milk.

While it cooked, I made naan. I wanted to buy some at the grocery store, but the store I went to only had a mix. This turned out really, really well, though. This was seriously yummy.

I found this Golden Temple mix (it’s actually made or distributed by Smuckers) that includes the flour mix and a yeast packet. It calls for milk, oil, and some water. I actually used soymilk and it came together perfectly.

I mixed everything together, kneaded it, then after it rose I rolled it into eight pieces. Then Alex cooked them in a skillet like pancakes. We spread some melted Earth Balance on them and sprinkled with salt.

I don’t know that I can call this “Indian food”, but it was certainly different from my usual fare. I think we’ll be doing something like this again, though!

Comfort Food, Cornbread Casserole

This dish is something I tossed together for a quick and hearty dinner. It’s not something I invented, but I didn’t follow a recipe either. I was hungry for this kind of food, so the best way for me to get it is to make it myself. It was go-oo-od. I think that's a new level in the tasty scale of yumminess.

Ingredients:

Cornbread (from a mix, or homemade)
8 oz. Frozen corn, divided
1 bag Morningstar Crumbles, or your favorite variety
1 cup Black beans (rinsed and drained from a can, or dried and cooked)
Canned tomatoes with diced chiles
Mushrooms
Shredded cheddar cheese

Begin by cleaning and quartering the mushrooms. Cook in a skillet 3-4 minutes, then add the crumbles (I defrost first for a minute or two), black beans, half the corn, and the tomatoes. Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Add shredded cheese. I used about 1/2 cup because I was trying not to go overboard. This would be good with more cheese if you like, or no cheese if you like.

Separately, make the cornbread according to your favorite directions. I also add the other half of the frozen corn to the cornbread mix. This addition was Alex's special request. I used the Little Crow Miracle Maize brand and made it with soymilk and Ener-G egg replacer.

Transfer the crumble mixture to a casserole dish. I used a 13x9 after I saw how much food I’d made. Dollop the cornbread mix on top, carefully spreading it without stirring it into the first layer. Sprinkle with additional cheddar, if desired.

Bake according to cornbread directions, keeping in mind that if the cornbread is thinner than the recipe calls for, it will take less time to bake. Mine was bubbly and done in about two-thirds of the required time. Test with a toothpick or cake tester for doneness.

Apple-Banana Bread

I was craving some good banana bread in a really serious way lately, and I searched for more recipes online for another vegan version. The one I made before was delicious, and as I see the photo again it looks better than this attempt, but I was ready to give a different recipe a shot. I tried this recipe for vegan apple-banana bread, and as you can see in the comments, people say this was actually copied from The Post Punk Kitchen and apples were added. These are the reasons I have stopped posting other people’s recipes in full (even when I give them credit).

I was drawn to this recipe because of the chopped fresh apples, and they truly were an incredible addition to the bread. In all honestly, I didn’t follow this recipe exactly, partially intentionally and partially not. Alex wanted to use my computer, so I quickly copied the recipe on a junk mail envelope and somehow omitted two important ingredients – the melted soy margarine and baking soda! The bread was a little dry and chewy straight from the oven, but the piece I ate today reheated in the microwave was delicious. The intentional changes I made were simple and things I usually do: substitute whole wheat flour for half the white flour, and add pecans.

I’ve gotten my fill of banana bread for now, but the when I’m ready for more, I think I’ll try this recipe again – the way it was written!

Thanksgiving, a day late

I cooked for Thanksgiving today. Yesterday, I got my fill on the road: breakfast at Dunkin Donuts (bagel and cream cheese); lunch at Chili's Too (black bean burger); snack at McDonalds (fruit & walnut salad); supper at home - Bertolli ravioli and leftover pasta sauce.

Today's meal, however, was the highlight of my Thanksgiving cooking on my own. With the exception of the gravy, everything was really good. I'll work on that before I serve it to anyone else.



Menu (from 1 o'clock going clockwise): green bean casserole with mushrooms; mashed pototoes and gravy; tofu cutlets with the same gravy and mushrooms; apple cider cranberries; cornbread dressing; corn casserole; maple roasted sweet potatoes with pecans.

The opposite side of my plate, to highlight my personal favorite -- the sweet potatoes. I've normally eaten them creamed with a topping made from pecans and brown sugar, but these sticky sweet roasted potatoes were delicious.



I didn't make a dessert, but I did get a store-bought chess pie to share with Alex as he's never had (or heard of) chess pie. This morning we were just about the only shoppers in the grocery store, go figure.

Mm-Mm Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread from this recipe with half whole-wheat flour, half white flour, and no chocolate. I used pecans instead. Not quite like the dense, moist bread I'm used to, but very good and lighter, although probably not healthier.

Banana Bread and trying vegan baking

There is a wealth of information on the web for vegan baking. I figured a good place to start was with banana bread because the batter should be easy enough to adjust; plus, I'm taking advantage of the colder fall weather to use the oven more often. I'm always happy to reduce the animal products I use in cooking, and this was just great the way it was.



This is a super-easy banana bread that's pretty healthy except all the sugar in it. After making this, I'm not sure what the recipes that call for oil and butter are getting from that addition.

Here's how I did it: mash 4 ripe bananas with 1/2 cup applesauce, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 3/4 cup sugar. Separately combine 2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Throw in some pecans or walnuts if you want. Bake at 350F for one hour.