Merry Christmas!

Steve surprised me with my very own glass Christmas Ball

Busted!
Oh 'tis the season for kitties to play in bags of paper

On the net, me at my computer

A poem for my kitchen

some people like to look in medicine cabinets
too see who you really are
i like looking into fridges
i like looking into sinks and on spice shelves

***
in my apartment
you may see my un-made bed and my pile of laundry
but if you did
you'd miss my clean kitchen counters and perfectly organized cook book shelf
if you were looking at all the cat hair on my couch
you'd be missing the funny magnets on my spotless stove
you see...
Like a free mind can wander without worry
my mind is at peace in my kitchen
if i have a funny quote it goes on the fridge
if i have a funny toy it goes on my spice shelf
pictures of friends and my love
little bottles of spice and salts
oils and acids
bottles and bowls
if you can tell alot about someone by their eyes
look into my kitchen and stare straight into my soul

Cocoa Haiku

Winters hot cocoa
Snow flakes and ice all around
My cocoa and I

to make * whisk almond milk * cocoa * xylitol * in a saucepan * over medium heat* stir often
if you have fire in your soul * add a few shakes of hot chili flakes

kitties are funny

He peers around the corner waiting for me to pass so he can swipe me as I pass, the sneaky monkey.

As I was writing he was biting the end of my pen... actually he was more gumming it. I think he liked the way it felt against his teeth.

But it was affecting my writing.

Oh kitties are funny.

Adele Bakes

I mean, I bake all the time. But lately I have been more open to trying new recipes rather than the old wrinkled ones I have up on my shelf, stuck together with batches of sticky finger prints.

This recipe I just got simple with and added chocolate chips and walnuts to, instead of making them like Milano cookies, dipping the cookies in melted chocolate and sticking them together.

They turned out Fantastic and light and chewy and soft. They are a thumbs up for sure!

If you have a diabetic friend or family member, why not bring these along for Christmas dinner, so everyone can enjoy a baked treat!




Chocolate chip walnut cookies
adapted from Vegan Milanos from The Post Punk Kitchen

1/3 cup almond milk (or rice or soy)
1/2 cup Xylitol
1/2 cup olive oil (or canola)
1 egg
2 cups whole spelt flour (or whole wheat)
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch ( or cornstarch)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cups broken-up walnuts

• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Celsius

• Mix wet together

• Sift dry together

• Add wet to Dry

Batter will be very wet. Scoop with teaspoons onto parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-14 mins. Until the softness or firmness you desire is achieved.

Giving, Needing and Wanting

As it does every Christmas season, the chattering begins about what to buy for Suzie and what to give to Auntie Lucie. The rush to buy, the stock to hide, the lists and more often than not, the stress. I understand the want to give, the excitement of receiving. But for so many the 'want' to give is replaced by the 'need' to give, to some or all of your circle of friends/family members.

I say Why? A dollar value should never be set for what a proper gift should be, a quantity should never be set on how many gifts to give to one person.

I don't want anyone to worry about what to give me. Nor do I want to worry about what to give someone else. When I sit down and think about the people on my list, I think of who they are and items come to mind. While walking by a shop window, something caught my eye and it strikes me as something perfect for that person on my list.

This year I want to help the environment with every gift I give. I want to help others take the step to help the environment. I am not thinking of what to give to Billy or Maggie. I am thinking about what I would like them to do for the environment this year. Small things I can present them with, with a card explaining a great idea for a New Years resolution. A compost bin with compostable liners! Why not, I know lots of people who might start composting if they were just given a little nudge in the right direction. A reusable coffee mug filled with info on how many paper coffee cups are thrown out every year.

We all have lots and lots of 'things' and yet we still want. This impulse is human nature, so it is up to us to discipline ourselves enough to know that we probably don't need all the things we want.

This is the first time I have worked in retail. Yesterday, like so many times before, I was blown away with how much selection and choice we have for practically every given item ever made. There will always be a newer, better, cooler thing. You already have a water bottle that works just fine, but ohhhhhhhh there is a new kind with a pop top that would be so much better.

Since taking a drastic pay cut to work for Mountain Equipment Co-opI have come into a new found strength against all the wants I find myself confronted with. I like this new power to tell myself. "No, you don't need that, you already have one" I like learning to appreciate what I already have, and learning to see all the things I have as what they really are.

They are what they are, and I only need what I need.

All water bottles, hold water and allow you to drink it, all back packs hold stuff, all toques keep your head warm... Until these things no longer do what they were designed to do, I don't need to get another one. These things will probably outlast me on this earth, and here I am thinking I need more. Its just more to store, and more to move around from place to place.

We shouldn't be burdened with our things, we should be enabled by them. They help us do the things we need to do, that's all. They do not define us, or make us happy.

And with all this lack of buying 'wants' that I am doing , there is still no shortage of pulling out my wallet. I need to buy train tickets, I need to buy food, I need to buy gas, and I need to buy water.

I have banished my credit card to the depths of hell and am carrying more cash. I want to feel the money go through my hands. I don't like spending 'cash' but I am not attached to the dollar amount I swipe on my debit card. So my debit card gets dusty while I strengthen my discipline to only buy what I 'need'.

Take that consumerism!

Versaware Pro Crock Pot

I busted it out... my crock pot, I mean.

My parents gave this wonderful invention to me for my Birthday in July. It is a genuine work of art. Oh I know, maybe just us kitchen gear heads gets all tingly at the sight of a new crock pot, but everyone has their thing they love, and I love cooking.

This is the first time I have used it, since the snow on the roofs and the caramel apple scented candle makes me long for a warm bowl of stew. I dug around in my bin of random recipes and found one that looked promising.

Chop-chop-chop Sizzle, saute, stir Chop-chop-chop Sizzle, saute, stir Chop-chop-chop

Then the best part is how I act like Ron in the Infomercial of the century and shout out loud...

"Just set it and Forget it"

It is cliche, but there is some serious merit to the function "Set it and Forget it", because it is just so amazing! The dial on the right sets the length of cooking, in hours. The dial on the left, sets the temperature, low, high or warm. Once the time set elapses the crock automatically shifts to the 'warm' mode. '

I believe it started off as a recipe from Canadian living for Slow Cooker Beef and Mushroom Stew but as always, I started with that recipe only as a base plan for the measurements, temperature, and time. That is why cooking is fun, you can use anything as a foundation and throw in your own ideas. I added almond milk to make a creamy broth, I added carrots and tofurky sausage because I don't eat meat.

The stew turned out great! Steve suggested more liquid, and I agree. I would add 2 more cups of veggie broth and another cup or almond milk for sure. I would also add some garlic!

I am working 7 days straight and home at 9:30pm every night, so I think my crock pot is going to have its work cut out for it!

p.s. I welcomed winter yesterday. I looked out the window at the snow falling and smiled. Winter doesn't need one more person to dread it. Winter makes me slow down, take my time. Mostly for safety sake, but it is refreshing to be forced to slow down.

Maybe a little winter, is what we all need, from time to time.