Possibly The Best Recipe Of All

CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS
p. 135 HIAV
Prepared 3/10/07

I make these a lot. They are really simple and easy and of course, yummy. They are good to eat straight from the pan or pack to bring on an adventure. They are so, so good. If sassiness is in the air, one might just be inclined to add some white chocolate chips to augment the dark chocolate chip flavor. Yes, yes, yes, that is a wonderful idea.

A Vegan Meal At Mom And Dad's (And They Lived To Tell The Tale)

I love my folks, but they have a hard time with vegetarianism. My mom, for instance, only eats a very, very, very few types of produce. Sigh. Anyway, I happed upon a recipe in LDV that stated it was a good choice for omnivores (er, those of them who like mushrooms...my parents fall into that catagory, my partner does not). And so I made us the soup, and a bread besides. My guess is that the bread is still residing in my parents' freezer.




ON GOLDEN POND MUSHROOM SOUP
p. 105 LDV
Prepared 2/25/07

This was really good, we all ate it up. I wish that it had made more- I actually thinned it a bit with some soy milk to stretch it. I will love making it again come colder weather (and an encounter with a mushroom eater!). I'll probably double the recipe next time.

CUMIN SPICED QUICK BREAD
p. 267 LDV
Prepared 2/25/07

I really liked this bread, it was cumin-y without being overwhelming and very dense...just right for soup-dunking. Another recipe that will be repeated!

But what of my poor partner, studying so hard for a certain exam that had taken so much of his (and others', names not mentioned) time and energy? What is he, chopped Oy-Vey Mock Liver?

No, Gentle Reader, he was supplied with a soup of his own.

BLACK BEAN TORTILLA CHIP SOUP WITH AVOCADO TOMATO SALSA
p. 123 LDV
Prepared 2/25/07

This was good, I had some...but can you really go wrong with a black bean soup? Experience tells me no.

We thought that it needed more flavor but that it was very good with the toppings. I had no carrots or celery so I substituted some cabbage and cauliflower (random, but healthy!) and also added scallions.

Pancakes, We're Bananas For Them!

BANANA PECAN PANCAKES
p. 39 LDV
Prepared 2/24/07

Got the thumbs up from the lads, but the batter was megasuperthick. So be prepared with a little substance with which to thin when you whip up these babies.

Another Chocolate Pudding Cake!

CHOCOLATE PUDDIN' CAKE
p. 251 LDV
Prepared 2/21/07

This is eerily similar to the recipe in HIAV that we have made oh, say, 50 million times. I actually didn't make this recipe the whole way through- I started it and then had to do something kid-related, so the toddler daddy and his friends (who were visiting us, but at my parents house, where we were visiting my parents...follow?) finished it. They dumped a load of extra chocolate in it and everyone seemed pleased with the outcome. And thats saying something, because these peeps are super omnivorific. Again, we forgot to photograph the end result until our bellies were a-filled, and so you are left staring at the half-eaten pan of cake. But trust me. Its good.

Soup, More Of It

TANYA'S CURRIED SQUASH SOUP
p. 83 GOV
Prepared 2/18/07

Deeeeelicious (what doesn't coconut milk make toothsome?) and a change from our traditional veggie soup-- we aren't a huge squash family, but we like this. The toddler set dug right in! Make it, you'll like it. On the eve of a big trip to warmer climes, this did some serious spot hitting.

Bananas, Again (sigh)

BANANA BREAD
p. 122 HIAV
Prepared 2/17/07

I omitted the dates, because I didn't have them. I added a bit of agave to make the bread sweeter, and chocolate chips, because you can't go wrong with having extra chocolate chips in banana bread. Everyone seemed to like this. Everyone, of course, but me.

When I say everyone, I mean people I talked to. I gave a bunch of it to the emergency workers in our neighborhood who were working on a broken gas main in front of our house for almost 24 hours. I didn't go tagging after them asking their opinion. Oh no. I save that for people who know me.

By the way, we voluntarily evacuated our place (after learning that the building next door, with which we share a wall, had been not-so-voluntarily evacuated). It kind of sucked, but discretion is sometimes the better part of valor. Especially when it comes to kids, cats and hard to find gas leaks.

Chili Today, Hot Tamale

CHRISTINE'S BLACK BEAN & TOMATO CHILI
p. 160 GOV
Prepared 2/17/07

This was another very good, hearty, healthy cold weather meal. Here are my comments:

I added couscous but it burned somewhat on the bottom of the pot, so needs to be stirred very often. I added pinto beans along with the black beans, used molasses instead of a dry sweetener and leftover spaghetti sauce instead of crushed tomatoes.

Here are my partner in eating's comments:

I like this because it is hearty and more of a soup than a chili. The carrots are a nice touch and the couscous gives it extra tooth and body. The flavors are well balanced.

Valentine's Day Comes But Once A Year

PEAR GINGER PECAN BREAD
p. 172 GOV
Prepared 2/14/07









Cold-weather-means-baking-is-a-great-cozy-idea bread. I'm not always so crazy about fruit bread but it smelled wonderful and was really good...especially with tea. Gave it out as a Valentine's remembrance to our neighbors as well.

Mmmm Mmmmm Mushroom Bake

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BAKE
p. 147 GOV
Prepared 2/13/07

I do love a mushroomy dish now and again, and so when we got some mushrooms in our box, I looked up this recipe that had caught my eye some time earlier. It calls for 4 mushrooms, but I used only 2 and thought that it made just the right amount of sauce, so if you make it with 4, make more sauce. The sauce is goooooood, so make a lot anyway. I also used thyme instead of rosemary. I loved eating this, and in fact we'd eaten most of it before remembering to photograph it. It would be super yummy with some turbo mashed potatoes.

Cake, Wacky

TARA'S CHOCOLATE CAKE
p. 250 LDV
Prepared 2/12/07


Easy, fun as always to bake with vinegar- I don't know why...I know the science behind the magic, but it still seems fun and strange to use such a sour, strange tasting substance in your dessert.

Anyway, I prefer an uberchocolatey cake, which this isn't. But it was still a yummy dessert! I will make it again, and frost with hardcore chocolate frosting. Yes! But you lightweight chocophiles probably won't need the reinforcements.

Cookies, Eaten So Fast That No Picture Exists

MAUREEN'S OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
p. 183 GOV
Prepared 2/5/07

These were all eaten nearly immediately after being removed from the oven. Warm, gooey chocolate anything doesn't last long around here, never mind oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Delicious. I chose to use tofu over banana since, as all y'all know, no me gusta banana. Gah, these were good. I wish I had some now.