Much Too Much

Ossim is recovering well (yay!) and already fighting his antibiotic doses (fff), we have electricity in all areas of the house (yay!), and the garage is close enough!

Tool Side: ladder, lumber, & pvc up - empty shelves ready for tools - I wasn't joking about cardboard

I still have tons of tools to sort and shelve, but I have recovered about a third of the floorspace and have places to put all of the things which were impeding the craftstuff: bedroom > craft stuff: living room transition.

The actual moving of craftstuff went fairly quick, but the sort and organize? Mon dieu! Yarn and fabric were cake; notions and otherwise, SO FIDDLY. My brain is in full retreat, anywhere but here... totally digging in its heels and refusing to process what can go with what and where. It has skipped the original goal of "knit with new yarn" and has started no fewer than three paintings, it tricked me into partially designing a shed, it wants to start another clean & organize project, it is trying to plan a trip (to get away from the craft room, no doubt!), and is continuously sending hungry impulses. To be fair, this is probably the longest span of all work/no play in years, but c'mahn. Yeesh.

The goal for the weekend will be to further sort, finding everything a home or pack it up for donation, then get remaining craftstuff from storage and do it all again. I do not expect to move with any sort of pace, but I hope if I keep pushing, eventually, it will be done :)

Dear Life, Srsly?

Last night, our youngest wasn't pestering me in the kitchen while I was cooking dinner, so I knew something was going on. Sure enough, he was in a tiny kitty ball and running a fever.

Ossim semi-regularly crops up with mysterious fevers. At the last visit, his doctor said he believes Ossim may have FIV = compromised immune system. From what I have read on FIV, there isn't much to be done treatment-wise except staying on top of fevers and feeding a high protein diet. It is a contagious lenti-/retrovirus, transferable through deep bite wounds (saliva to blood), which would line up well with the way Ossim was found... about four weeks old, young for being away from the nest; nasty-scabby ear and a disturbingly large abscess which cropped up a few days later. Because he was tested for everything but (main concern: leukemia) when we found him, he has lived in our pounce this long and the cats do not play rough enough to cause concern, so we have opted to make no changes to his lifestyle.

Little Ossim Vunderstuft ♥s apples
Anyway, that's Ossim... who is currently hating me for forcing syringes (needle-less) of water into him every hour, will *really* hate me for taking him to the vet for the double poke (thermometer, antibiotic shot), and will be wishing me dead around day three of seven with the oral antibiotics, twice a day.


Otherwise, as of eight thirty this morning, we, apparently, have a power issue. Being that our house was erected in nineteen sixty-eight, it was not equipped for the electronic needs of today. We may be a special case, as we, at times, run five computers simultaneously... on top of televisions in the back two bedrooms, a couple of stereos, window air conditioners when it is hot, space heaters when it is cold, microwave, convection toaster oven, giant fridge, &c. Yeah, we are asking for it. And this morning, we received! ... a breaker which refused to be reset + two bedrooms and a corner of the den without power.

Priority shifted once again, I will be moving the Mister's computing area to a spot whose outlets are on a separate breaker and hopefully be finished in time for Ossim's appointment, then to a hardware store, where we will hopefully find a breaker for our obsolete breaker box. After which, with any luck, our electrician friend will come replace the breaker, as I am practically petrified when it comes to dealing with electricity. I'm no fool...

Sweets for the Sweet

Our son turns twenty today. Twenty! I can't believe it :\ Rather than allow the thought to fully sink in and rattle about my brain, I am going to share his birthday treat and get back to the garage... which I have fully destroyed, again, in order to get to the spot where I will set up the new shelving, then put it all back.

By the numbers, this isn't as eeevil as the Pot de Crème, but, shoo, it is wicked sweet and definitely not kosher by the Mister's and my dietary habits. I can only pray the kids will plow through it before I have a middle-of-the-night lapse in senses.

Death by Reese's

1 box yellow cake mix
1-16 oz jar (doesn't have to be exact, 15-18 oz will do) natural creamy peanut butter, divided as 1 c and [rest]
1-1/2 tsp Ener-G + 2 tbs water (or 1 egg)
1/3 c water
~27 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped
16 oz Reese's Pieces (or peanut butter M&Ms)
12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven according to box directions and prepare a 9" x 9" baking pan by spraying bottom lightly.

Whisk together water (1/3 c + 2 tbs) and Ener-G (or beat egg and 1/3 c water together) in medium mixing bowl; add in dry cake mix and 1 c peanut butter; stir or beat with mixer until thoroughly combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan, smoothing with moistened fingers (water or cooking spray) to an even consistency.

Stud [cake] with peanut butter cups in a staggered pattern and pop into the oven for 30-35 minutes or until done (cake will pull away from pan and edges will brown slightly). Transfer from oven to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Once cake is cooled, combine the rest of the peanut butter and bag of chocolate chips in a double broiler set-up over medium heat; stir until chips have melted and everything is well mixed. Pour chocolate mixture over cake, spreading to edges. Top with Reese's Pieces and chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator until chocolate is set.

Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temperature before serving. May be stored at room temperature.

Makes 40 1"x2" bars with a 1"x1" square remaining.

Calories: 242.4 | Total Fat: 12.9 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 167.9 mg | Total Carbs: 21.0 g | Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g | Sugars: 13.9 g | Protein: 3.8 g | Vit. A: 0.0% | Vit. C: 0.0% | Calcium: 0.8% | Iron: 2.5%
Full* nutrition can be found here.
*Since a lot of the ingredients are packaged, a good portion of the nitty-gritties of nutrition information is missing.

It's a shame the home improvement centers don't lease help-for-the-day. I could totally use an assistant with greater upper body strength than mine! C'est la vie and back to the grind. ... or grunt, as the case is ;)

Genesis of Clutter

The garage is a formidable opponent. After having dragged everything out into the drive, *trying* to make a pile of this stuff can go, and dragging it all back in (because we absolutely may not set anything out for heavy trash before the seven days preceding the first day of heavy trash pick-up, which regularly changes without notice), the tools are on the tool side, our son's home gym/olympic bench/dirt bike are on the other side, and, in spite of really putting my back into it, I only made a path. ...?

Apparently, we are cardboard collectors and hobbyists. Good boxes, sure, we were packing; not-so-good, ok, we order and otherwise buy things, keeping the boxes just in case (in case of what, I'm not sure -- cardboard has little effect on zombies); other odds of cardboard... well, I am an Instructables reader who sometimes gets it in my head that I have plenty of time and space to try my hand at cardboard construction (among ten thousand other things). Time to let the cardboard go! ... as soon as it is time for heavy trash. ... or I could dole it out in small bundles over the next twenty recycling days.

Other than the paper hoard, we have a host of garage-y-ness: hand tools, lawn equipment, gas cans, lots of lumber and pvc pipe/fittings, a ridiculous twenty-four foot ladder, theeen all of the stuff to come from the living room. It looks like additional shelving will be our best option, as none of this stuff likes being stacked or gathered. To further prove the time is right, Lowe's has my favorite shelves on sale!

oh, yeaaah!
74" H x 48" W x 18" D, 350# per shelf of vertical, floor-making love

May need a couple of my very own for the living room. /grin I can't tell you how much satisfaction I garner from sorting stuff into storage totes and putting said totes on shelves. With the right configuration, it is possible to store twelve twelve-gallon storage totes in the footprint of only two totes using these shelves (assuming you have at least eight foot ceilings and have the lowest rack at a height which allows totes below).

Ok. Enough organizational verbosity. Time to measure, make a list, and get thee to the home improvement center.

First Things First

After the hullabaloo of the holidays -- stocking my etsy shop, vending local craft markets, gift making, visiting/hosting, cookingcookingcooking -- I am more than ready for some downtime and dying to crack into the yarn I bought myself for Christmas...




stock images from KnitPicks, I haven't allowed myself to open the box yet

... but, priorities. Even though I threw my hands up over the throw pillows (there *must* be a trick to nice fiber stuffing) mid-week, I cannot bring myself to start a new project until This Present Clutter is addressed and it will not be put off until we can get something going in the garage -- I'll go mad! My temporary fix is to commandeer the living room.



Problem being, the living room, since we began renovation, has been a holding cell for the more oft used tools, lengths of trim, drywall schwack, paint, and a catchall for recently packed things which will not fit into our half of the [local rented storage space]. But, before I can banish all of the whatnot, I will have to exorcise the garage.

Priests!

Still Hungry

Today is my Mister's forty-first birthday :) Considering the Gluttony Fest that precedes his day, we typically do leftovers and a yay birthday dessert... he should have something special, non?

Just after his birthday three years ago, he joined me in vegetarianism and also began trying to avoid eggs -- tough to do when you are grabbing snacks in convenience stores -- because of his spiritual beliefs. Since I had only been doing egg white omelets when trying to cut some fat and had conducted a fair few experiments in egg replacement, giving up eggs wasn't much of an ordeal. Dairy, however, unf.

He hasn't any spiritual qualms with dairy, directly, but I'm sure if he were to be exposed to the industry, he may feel different. I, on the other hand, lean more toward the health-nut end of vegetarianism.

in my mind the scale goes as such:

buddhist_________________animal hugger_________________health nut

we meet at animal hugging :)

Through volumes of reading, I have concluded that, while dairy is tasty, the commercial industry is awful, dairy doesn't do the body good, then, through exposure and the failed attempts over the past year to kick it, it is quite addicting. ... and super hard when everyone else in the house is having tasty cheeses.

So(!), when the final approach began for this new year (after we both mega failed over Christmas, indulging in my mother-in-law's deliiicious Christmas Cookie Extravaganza, containing both eggs and butter), I struck a deal with the Mister:

no eggs. no dairy.
Essentially, we're going dietary vegan. Ok, it wasn't much of a deal, more of a proclamation, but he agreed. Fingers crossed we can both stick to reading labels, at least long enough that we work out replacements for the things to which we are accustomed. Fortunately, avoiding dairy will be fairly easy, as I have sufficient practice in making my own tofu ricotta / tofu feta / crock-style (spreadable) "cheeses" and veggie shreds melt well enough for our stromboli needs, IF my laziness doesn't push me to cave into ordering pizza.

Recipe du (naissance) jour: bittersweet pot de crème, chilled (no need for baking if you don't use eggs)

Pot de Crème

1-14 oz can (full fat) coconut milk
5 oz bittersweet chips (read the ingredients if avoiding dairy, we use SunSpire 65%)
2 tbs turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt

Put everything except coconut milk in your blender/processor canister (please hold on pureeing). In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk to a simmer; pour milk into blender (over other ingredients) and puree until smooth. Divide mixture between 4 small ramekins or teacups. Chill at least 5 hours.

(this one is a baddy!)
Servings: 4 | Calories: 451.6 | Total Fat: 36.5 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 54.8 mg | Potassium: 243.3 mg | Total Carbs: 30.7 g | Dietary Fiber: 5.2 g | Sugars: 19.7 g | Protein: 4.8 g | Vit. A: 0.0% | Vit. C: 1.9% | Calcium: 2% | Iron: 25.5%
Full nutrition can be found here.

Tonight will ring the end of indulgence and the resumption of trying my best to take care of us, so we are going out with a *BANG*. Mmm!

Buenas noches, hasta luego :) Mañana, it's back to the pillow makery for me!

Allo, 2013

Little thick at the moment, as I had multiple adult beverages last night... the first since half of a glass of pinot in October. They were gentle, fizzy-sweet libations, but I knew when the center of my forehead made itself known, around one o'clock this morning, I would be in for it today.

Cracking on! Haha, the thought of audibly using that exclamation point made me wince. We like to keep tradition of the southerner's New Year's Day dinner, eating the post-Civil War fare of black eyed peas and cabbage for luck and money. I think collard greens are the standard, but my family always did cabbage, so cabbage it is!

Black Eyed Peas, Please!

2 tbs olive oil
1 5-oz pkg veggie bacon (we like LightLife's Smart Bacon)
1 lg onion, chopped
1 green capsicum (bell pepper); topped, seeded, & sliced
1 red capsicum; topped, seeded, & sliced
1 orange capsicum; topped, seeded, & sliced
# cloves garlic (minimum of 2, I use most of a bulb), peeled
2 c veggie broth
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 14-oz pkgs of presoaked or 1 lb dried black eyed peas, prepared according to directions (the day before), drained

Heat oil in large [skillet] (with lid); separate bacon and tear into little pieces to save crumbling later; fry bacon in oil until crisp. With a slotted spoon (or somesuch) transfer bacon from pan to paper towel covered plate to absorb excess oil.

In the oil remaining in the pan, saute onion, capsicum, and garlic until onions are translucent. Stir in veggie broth and liquid smoke thoroughly, then stir in peas. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in bacon crumbles and allow to cook in peas for the last 5-10 minutes.

Servings: 10 | Calories: 189.5 | Total Fat: 5.1 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 413.1 mg | Potassium: 152.7 mg | Total Carbs: 28.8 g | Dietary Fiber: 6.5 g | Sugars: 5.2 g | Protein: 8.4 g | Vit. A: 18.2% | Vit. C: 64.3% | Calcium: 15.5% | Iron: 7.5%
Full nutrition can be found here.


Tasty Cabbagestuff

2 tbs turbinado sugar
3 tbs olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 med head cabbage, shredded
2 golden delicious apples, cored & thinly sliced
8 (~2 lbs) butter red potatoes, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 recipe breakfast susej (see below), cut into bite sizes
1 tbs ground black pepper
salt (optional, not included in nutrition)
1 c veggie broth + 1/4 c water

In skillet, brown sugar in oil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and saute onion until golden.

Transfer onion to (large) stock pot; stir in cabbage and apples thoroughly. Top cabbage mix with sliced potato; top potato with susej; season; and pour broth+water over the whole lot. Bring quickly to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes pierce easily with fork (45-60 minutes). Stir before serving.

Servings: 12 | Calories: 220.3 | Total Fat: 5.7 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 157.0 mg | Potassium: 697.3 mg | Total Carbs: 30.6 g | Dietary Fiber: 5.8 g | Sugars: 4.0 g | Protein: 14.4 g | Vit. A: 4.9% | Vit. C: 71.2% | Calcium: 8.5% | Iron: 14.3%
Full nutrition can be found here.

Breakfast Susej
1/2 c navy (or other light colored) beans, drained, measured then smashed with fork
1 c water (or veggie broth, water used in calculation)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs shoyu
1 tbs pure maple syrup
1-1/4 c wheat gluten
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sage
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp anise seed
1/4 tsp cayenne

Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (navy beans through maple syrup). In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine dry ingredients (wheat gluten through cayenne). Stir wet into dry until a dough begins to form, then knead dough until all of the dry bits have been incorporated.

Form dough into a log, approximately 14" long, and roll securely (2-3 wraps) in heavy aluminum foil, twisting the ends tightly, without compacting the dough. Bake on rack for 90 minutes. If the foil pops during baking (and you hear it), quickly (and carefully) rewrap tightly and return to oven.

When baking is complete, remove susej from foil and allow to cool on wire rack until room temperature, where it will be ready to use or refrigerate -- will keep for a week.

I typically use breakfast susej in other recipes, but it can be sliced and pan fried (in a little oil or spray) and served as typical sausage patties.

Servings: 8 | Calories: 134.7 | Total Fat: 2.6 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 88.3 mg | Potassium: 168.4 mg | Total Carbs: 11.5 g | Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g | Sugars: 1.8 g | Protein: 18.0 g | Vit. A: 4.2% | Vit. C: 1.2% | Calcium: 5.3% | Iron: 11.5%
Full nutrition can be found here.

Proper Cornbread

1/4 c coconut (or other light, flavorless) oil
1 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1-1/4 c plain, unsweetened soy milk
2 tbs Ener-G egg replacement powder OR whole ground flaxseed + 4 tbs cool water, beaten (calculated with Ener-G)

Measure oil into a 9" x 9" baking dish/pan, place dish in oven and preheat to 425° Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients (cornmeal through salt) thoroughly. Pour in soy milk and egg replacement (+water) and stir until fully incorporated.

By now, your oil should be hot. Carefully remove dish from oven and, working quickly, pour batter into dish, spreading to edges. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool a couple minutes before slicing.

Servings: 9 | Calories: 196.0 | Total Fat: 7.2 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 419.5 mg | Potassium: 81.2 mg | Total Carbs: 27.0 g | Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g | Sugars: 7.6 g | Protein: 3.9 g | Vit. A: 0.6% | Vit. C: 0.0% | Calcium: 17.1% | Iron: 6.7%
Full nutrition can be found here.

With that, I'm off to cook :) Happy New Year!