Ganymeder

You can view my winner’s profile here.

Brag, Brag, Brag!!!

Well, it’s finally over. I did it. I really did. I wrote a 50,000 word novel in less than a month. I’ve downloaded my lovely Winner’s certificate. I’ve copied my Winner Icon. And I am going to treat myself to a prize for accomplishing my goal. I’m not sure what that is yet, but it’ll be nice. Maybe a tee shirt I’ve been lusting after for awhile or a book I have been putting off getting myself. Something. I definitely have the feeling it’ll be a mail order item though.

And now what do I do? Well, life returns to normal or something approximating that when its less than a month til Christmas. We’ll be putting up decorations soon and possibly dressing in silly Santa hats. Christopher is going to do a Christmas show for his school music class. Doug is going to have a little over a week off for Christmas break. And we’ll go shopping for presents, of course.

This post is mostly just to brag though. I’ve never written a long fiction story before, and now I’ve written an entire novel. For anyone who is remotely curious, the name of my novel is “The Wonderfully Exciting and Awesome Adventures of Monkey boy.” Also, I need somewhere to post my lovely Winner Icon, so this is it!

As a side note to my previous post about NaNoWriMo, I did have a couple minor run ins with the flying guilt monkeys. It turns out though that keeping a rolled up newspaper by your side is a great deterrent. They hate that.

Oh, and by the way…Brag! Brag! Brag!!!

He wants Crash Bandicoot for the PS2 (its a video game, but make sure its for PS2)

Pretty much anything with Robots. Christopher adores Robots.

Also spider type stuff he loves, but caveat emptor – he already has one remote control spider.

Cool books like the – oh, I’ll have to edit this later when I figure out the name- there’s a series of really nice educational books about pirates and other things. He really liked looking at the Pirate book at the local Borders. It had pockets with maps and things in it you could touch and feel. It was written like a journal. Opening the book really was like opening a present because there was so many things in it to open and explore. I’ll edit this when I figure out the title.

I’m going to have to bribe him to give up his Hot Wheels cars since I can’t figure out which ones have been recalled to the the lead paint toy recall. So he could probably use Hot Wheels cars.

We plan on getting him a relatively cheap camcorder with a sale and my employee discount. He’s been saying he wants to make movies since he was about 4 years old. So that’s his big present this year. Maybe something fun to go with that might be nice.

That’s about all the possible suggestions I can think of right now!

Merry Christmas!

Doug is a devout Christian who also happens to be a technophile.

Currently he wants to get several items either over the internet or (he really loves) Gift Cards to either Comp USA or Best Buy.

You can buy Best Buy Gift Cards and Comp USA Gift Cards through their websites as well.

Also, any charity donations in his name would probably be appreciated as well. Especially if they are to Christian charities.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Giving

I appreciate the fact that people want to give their family and friends something special for the holidays. I love it when my little boy gets his presents under the tree and gets packages in the mail. I don’t actually need a gift, but I realize that people may want to do something nice for me this holiday. So in the spirit of giving, this is what I would like for Christmas.

Donations for Farm Sanctuary. This is one of my favorite charities. They care for rescued farm animals and work towards strenghtening anti-cruelty legislation. If you really feel the need for a physical gift, I’d like a copy of “The pig that sang to the moon” from their website. The link to the store is in the bar at the left of the page. Then click on books, all other books, and page 2 (it’s at the bottom of the page).

Donations to The American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG). Most people are unaware of the plaque of modern day slavery. It’s not a thing of the past, but people are sold like chattel every day. Again, if you feel the need for a physical gift, you can get a large women’s fitted tee shirt here. You can find out more about them at www.iabolish.org

Thanks again to everyone who wants to give something special. If you are kind enough to consider giving me a gift this holiday season, please make it the gift of giving to one of these special charities. The links are already attached, and you can give easily over their websites. And just think, no wrapping or trips to the post office are required. Thank you again. I really, really appreciate it.

1 package mild taco seasoning
1 package burger crumbles (Morningstar farms vegan crumbles work nicely)
*optional* 1 can vegetarian refried beans
and/ or 1 can black beans
chopped green onions (as much as you like)
flour tortillas
Enchilada sauce

Fry the crumbles. Add taco seasoning and small amount of water according to the package. Heat til slightly saucey but most of water gone. (If using refried beans and/or black beans, add at this point and mix in til thoroughly blended)
Add chopped green onions. Add small amount of sauce, just enough to get a little flavor but not make it too liquidy.
On a shallow baking pan, lightly coat with enchilada sauce. Put a small amount of mixture on a tortilla and roll up. Place on pan, seam side down. Repeat until pan full. Pour enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done.

***Feel free to add other goodies as you like, or serve on side. Some of my favorites are sliced black olives, guacamole, and vegan sour cream.

1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 Tab cornstarch
pinch of salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tea finely grated lemon zest *optional

In a big bowl, mix together the water, sugar, cornstarch, and salt til cornstarch is dissolved. Transfer to a saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat,stirring constantly. When mixture thickens, reduce to low heat and cook for another minute still stirring.

Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add lemon juice and lemon zest, and mix well.

Allow to cool and thicken at ROOM TEMPERATURE.

Best served at room temperature, but may be kept refridgerated for several days. Either way, beat thoroughly before serving to a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Enjoy!

Get a nice fresh spaghetti squash, and cut it in half lenghtwise.

With a spoon, scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits inside.

Fill a Pyrex bowl with 1-2 inches of water.

Put cut side down in a glass or Pyrex bowl. Put lid on Pyrex.

Microwave 20 minutes or so, until the flesh inside turns darker and the outer shell is softer.
(What you are doing basically is steaming the squash)

Drain.

Take a fork, and use the tines to scrape the flesh away from the shell. The strands of squash will resemble speghetti noodles.

Top with your favorite topping, and enjoy!

*Some of my favorite toppings are olive oil with lemon salt, Spaghetti sauce with vegan parm (recipe posted), olive oil with fresh basil and salt and pepper, bruschetta, etc.

Okay, I’m a pizza junkie. I admit it. But the way I make ‘em, you don’t want cheese!

1 premade pizza crust (just check to make sure no dairy, eggs, or other animal ingredients)
pesto (either premade vegan or make a simple one of basil and olive oil in your food processor)
minced garlic (preferably roasted)
roasted vegetables (example: red peppers, onions, etc.)
artichoke hearts (preferably marinated)
greek olives
fresh herbs, chopped
fresh green onions, chopped
olive oil
vegan cashew-parmesan (optional, but I included the link anyway)

Spread pesto on crust and then garlic. Add all the vegetables and olives. Top with herbs, green onions, and drizzle olive oil over the top.
If using, sprinkle cashew-parm over the top.
Bake in oven according to directions for crust. It should become fragrant with a golden colored crust.
Enjoy!

Raw Unsalted Cashews.
(Important! They must be raw and unsalted. DO NOT substitute either roasted or salted)
Nutritional Yeast
pinch of salt

Need: spice grinder (I use a coffe grinder for my spices)

In grinder throw in cashews, nutritional yeast, and salt.

You want about 3 parts cashew to 1 part nutritional yeast, but you can play with it to get it how you like it. You want it to be mostly cashews. Don’t forget the pinch of salt.

Grind to the consistency of parmesan cheese.

Enjoy! This makes a great nondairy topping for pasta, eggplant paremesan, etc. And its very simple and cheap!

Okay, this is a depression era cake. So it was made without the use of milk or eggs since those things were more expensive.

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teas baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa *
1 tea vanilla extract
1 tea vinegar
6 Tab melted dairy free margarine (or sub about 1/4th cup of vegetable oil)
1 cup water

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Sift and mix together Flour, sugar,baking soda, and cocoa in a bowl.

Meanwhile melt margarine in microwave.

To margarine add vanilla, vinegar, and water.

Slowly add a little wet to the dry and stir in completely, Repeat until all the wet and dry is mixed together.

Pour into a greased cake pan, and bake for 30 minutes or til a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Top with your favorite vegan icing.

Lick the bowl.

Enjoy!

***Regarding cocoa. It has recently come to my attention that more than half the world’s cocoa comes from the Ivory Coast and directly supports modern human slavery. Please make sure you use slave-free cocoa and chocolate by either looking for organic cocoa, the Fair Trade label or calling the company. Thanks!