An apple a day keeps the aliens away...

I need apple recipes!!!! Preferably recipes that utilize non-peeled apples... because I don't know how to peel them because I've never been an apple eater... and never learned magic cut stuff in your hand skills. I love the suckers cooked though.


I went to visit grandma and came home with 2 giant bags of apples.... and the tree is still loaded and she is begging me to come take them away! How in the world do you make vegan apple jelly!? I found an apple butter recipe that goes in the crockpot I am going to put on tonite. I have an apple cake I am going to start in a few minutes after I take the eye "spray" back to the pharmacy... what was I thinking buying SPRAY for my dry eyes? And it's just WATER... I had a lapse of sanity.. that must be it. At any rate, it made my eyes worse, and I could hardly keep my eyes open while spraying it in there... and my checks are red... I look like Santa Claus without the beard!

Back to the apples. Tomorrow I'll make some apple muffins and maybe some apple scones.... anyone want some apples? Grandma's tree is waiting.
To celebrate randomness....Here's another cat. Her name is Minnie after the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy song "Minnie the Moucher".

In an aside from apple-speak... I made the pumpkin waffles from Vegan with a Vengeance this morning.... yummy. My first time making waffles and all was well until the last batch when I burned my finger... kiss it and make it better?

Ratatatat and the Blues

Last night I made the most exhausting meal ever-- Dad's Ratouille. I had two light purple eggplants on the verge of being taken over by the mold creatures, a green and yellow bell pepper from the farmer's market, 2 zuccini, and 3 squash, and a beautiful red banana pepper a guy at work brought me that I had to use up, so this recipe just felt right. I need to stop living by "feelings" only. It looked a little time-intensive but I had no idea what I was in for.

I started at about 6pm and it was ready a few minutes before my husband got home from work a little after 9:30. All the prep and the fact that I don't have a dutch oven that will go from stove to oven made it a stressful experience... I had to sautee in batches, them dump into a cassarole dish, then strain over a pot, then reduce. I filled up the dishwasher-- completely-- and I am not looking forward to emptying it tonight.

The only modifications I made were salting the eggplant and letting them drain (this is my second time cooking with them and I heard it takes the bitter taste out), leaving out onions and adding dehydrated granuals because I didn't have a fresh onion, and adding some fresh oregano because my plant is becoming a bush.


The other night, I made my first attempt at scones. I must say, I impressed even myself!!! They were awesome! I used the scone recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance and tossed about a pint of berries in there. My hubby the superstar ate about 3 of them while they were still steaming. I left about a cup of the batter in the frig for about a week and I threw it in the oven last night and it was still delicious. I'm so at the downtown market in the morning to get about a pound of those blueberries buddy!



I feel bad posting photos after I read some "rules" on another blog about posting photos... I'm sorry I'm not a professional photographer with a million plates and lenses and a skill for placing cilantro in just the right area.... I'm new to food photograpy, vegetarian/vegan cooking, and blogging... so I'm learning here. I can take some pictures of cats though... I'm a pro at that... here ... see... gratuitous kittyness... Meet Earle