so i think it’s pretty obvious that i’ve given up on veganmofo. too many things happened that kept me away from the kitchen (taking care of nibbler, moving, flying home for the holiday, working, etc), unfortunately. I’ll still try to update every so often, but I didnt want all my posts to be text only, just for the sake of posting.

anyways, I’m in Houston right now. It feels pretty good to be back home! Spending time with my parents, hoping to see a few good friends i’ve missed, and cooking tons of food for thanksgiving. Ironically enough, I think I might be the only davenport kid who made it home for thanksgiving… even though i live the farthest away (the other two are within an hour of my parents house!). bummer. I’m just glad to see my parents, though. I’ll be back again for Christmas, and once again in February for my brothers wedding.

& now, onto the exciting news (that i kind of already gave away earlier in this post)… We signed a year lease on a new apartment in hagerstown! it’s like 5 minutes from my work, and 10 from his (we currently have to drive 40 minutes to work). it’s old, & big, & fairly cheap, & i love it :) there are pictures on my flickr, but here are a few as well (it’s the blue one, second floor):

if you’re confused, here is a floor plan i threw together. as far as i know, we aren’t allowed to paint the walls(bummer), but i still can’t wait to start decorating!

sorry about the lack of posts yesterday; it was a hell of a day! we put in an application on an apartment after viewing it (cross your fingers!), and our roommates dog got hit by a car (she is currently stable, though). plus, you know, working 8 hours…didn’t leave me much time to bake :( anyways, today, i didnt have much time before work, so i thought i would try some cookies.

you will need:

1 3/4 cup flour, sifted
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer (equivalent to 1 egg)
2 tbsp water
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1/3 cup vegan margarine (i used earth balance)
3 tbsp soymilk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

preheat your oven to 375 degrees. in a medium bowl, combine ener-g egg replacer and water, and mix together. add all other ingredients to the bowl and mix together on medium speed. i would melt the butter first. you can also add chopped peanuts or chocolate chips to your mix (about 1/2 a cup) to add some extra flavor. drop by rounded tablespoons onto your cookie sheet about two inches apart; these cookies will spread. flatten slightly in a criss cross pattern with the times of a fork. My first batch of cookies werent very sweet, seeing as how no sugar is added… so i sprinkled the tops with a bit of sugar before and after baking, the second time. bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are just beginning to brown, the bottoms burn easy, so dont leave them in too long. remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. yields two dozen cookies :)

this recipe is from the lovely tracy of shutterbean, I modified it slightly, and veganized it and it was simply deeeeeeelicious!

• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 7 large zucchini, cut into chunks
• 1 quart of vegetable stock
• 1 cup of soymilk
• 1/4 cup of melted vegan butter (i used earth balance) mixed thoroughly with 1/4 cup of flour

In a large pot, Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent. Add Thyme and zucchini. Cook Until soft. Add curry powder, soymilk & stock. Bring to a boil. Add butter & flour mixture. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 15 minutes. Puree soup in blender or use an immersion blender(ironically i didnt have either, so i used a hand mixer on high speed… didnt quite do the trick because there was still chunks of zuchinni in the soup. i found a small smoothie blender that my mom had given me right before i left houston, and that worked perfectly. i never thought i would use that thing, so thanks mom! hehe).

I added pepper and garlic salt, to taste, and it was wonderful. I also added a can of peas, but that really didnt do much, so i think i’ll forget that addition next time around. this was super easy and inexpensive, and the recipe yields enough for your whole family, with plenty of leftovers to pawn off on the neighbors (or hungry vegans at the tattoo shop) :)