Simply Delish - Vegan Muffin(tops)

Every once in awhile I stumble upon a recipe that I have to try right then and there.  Even more rare is when that happens and I actually have all of the proper ingredients (or acceptable substitutes) so that I actually do make them.  Emily provided just one of those recipes with her vegan Blueberry Banana Whole Wheat Muffin recipe over at her blog, the Daily Garnish.

Unable to resist the promise of muffin-y goodness, I got to work.  The only problem...?  I didn't take any pictures until I made a second batch, anyways...

oh. my. yumness! 

Emily's recipe calls for the following ingredients (my modifications will be noted in parentheses and in blue)

Chili Time

I saw this post the other day, and was eager to try it.  So on Sunday, I finally did.


I modified Teri (over at A Foodie Stays Fit)'s Famous Vegetarian 3-Bean Chili recipe. Let me just tell you... She nailed it.  It. Is. Good!  Really good.  She was not kidding when she said that there was just one step, "throw it all in a pot." The most time-consuming part of the process was opening all of the cans of beans and tomatoes. I topped it with some guacamole and a blend of plain yogurt and sour cream. I was very pleased that mine turned out as thick as if there were meat in it, not watery like most veggie chili.

Nom! Nom! Nom! 

it's a marshmallow world!

Well, the blizzard came and left.  It did not leave as much snow as predicted (and unfortunately, it never does), but it still left a beautiful coat of snow.

Ryan, Scout and I all teamed up and cleaned out the driveway. Ryan used the snowblower, I took the shovel and played cleanup, and Scout was really just an observant (and faithfully diligent) project manager.

i've got my eyes on you!

the waffler…

Today was my husband's 35^th birthday, and it was pretty low-key. We always proclaim that, 'this year we're having a party' or something similar, but we never do. It's funny—and I think my as we've gotten older, we want our birthday to be recognized. BUT, we still want to celebrate with each other.

This year, hubs genuinely only wanted a few things.

lemon laws

So apparently, I have been feeling very, well very citrus-y, of late.  Examples:
1) My new KitchenAid mixer is Tangerine (I call her, 'Clem').

I'm in love.

 
2) I bought a new bottle of dish soap, as I was out.  Previous frangrance?  Also Tangerine.  New fragrance: Clementine.
3) The week prior, I bought a new candle from Target:  Meyer Lemon
4) I used Clem to make Lemon Meringue cookies

what was left of the meringue cookies, after my husband hit them

5) Feeling ambitious, I made my husband a Lemon Meringue pie.

at least i managed to snag a picture of this before the hubs tore into it. :-)

I've heard of 'lemon laws', but not like this.  Maybe this is a different kind.  ;-)

--happy living

the cow says "moooooo"

Love is finding a vintage 'Moo Cow Creamer' that takes you back to your childhood and summers spent at your grandparent's house.  OK, so that might not be the true  definition of love, but it certainly brings me 'warm & fuzzies'.

friday +/-

I am borrowing this post idea from Christine over at the new me.  I think it's a fantastic way to sum up the week.

negatives:
The hubby worked a really long, stressful week and did not get home until 7:30pm on Friday.

pizza for my baby

My husband had a horrible day at work today (both bad and just plain long).  So I decided to cheer him up by making him pizza.  Specifically his favorite pizza.  Pepperoni, mushrooms, onion and bacon.

My one cheat was that I buy pre-made pizza dough from my local gourmet grocer.  It's only a couple of bucks, and well worth it.

As for the toppings, I used the following:

oh. sweet. cornholio (cornbread)...

Let the cooking adventures commence...

I've been feeling much more inspired in the kitchen lately. This might have something to do with the fact that the "2010 black friday sales" led to us buying brand-new (stainless *grin*) kitchen appliances! YIPPEE!!! We only got to have them delivered at the beginning of January, so they are still very new to us. Either way, for the first time in a long time, I've actually been left feeling rather inspired in the kitchen.

(love. love. love.)