DIY Advent-ure

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us and the Christmas tree is up, we had some time for a DIY project.  This simple and fun Advent Calendar is a great project to do with the kids or on your own. The best part of this is you only need to make 12 days worth. We used chalk to write the days, so once you use one cone, you can wipe off and use it for another day later.  You could actually do 6 or 7 if you are really pinched for time. We went with pink and gold to give it a vintage feel. But, you can customize to match your color scheme.
All the items were purchased at Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts.  Everything was on sale for 60% off and when you sign up for emails or texts, you will receive more coupons for discounts.

Supplies:  Paper Mache cones (we used 2 sizes), for the gifts

                 Wooden shapes ( we used ornaments), for the days
                 Acrylic paints (we used 3 colors, plus one sparkly paint to give the small cones a shimmer)
                 Chalk board paint
                 Chalk
                 Bakers twine and jute rope(we had in our craft stash)

1. Begin by painting  inside of the cones, let dry.  
2. Paint the outside, let dry and repeat. We put 2 coats, plus the shimmer coat.  
3. Paint the wooden shapes however you desire. Do not forget to paint the space with chalkboard paint for the numbers. ( we used pink matte acrylic paint on some of the numbers and the chalk wipes off just fine)
4. Once all is dry you can assemble.  Punch a small hole in the front and back of the cone and slip the small string through the holes to create a handle, add wooden shape and tie in a knot.  Please make sure you  punch the holes in the front and back so you can slide it on the rope for hanging.  We decided to make 2 rows just so we can hang it on our small shelves, but you could do one long one if you prefer.

We used 3M Command strips and hangers to attach to the shelves, so they are easy to remove when the count down is over.
December 1st cannot come soon enough!

Some small gift ideas:  a small ornament for the tree, nail polish, stickers, a note of kindness or a challenge to do a random act of kindness to someone, lip balm, craft supplies. coupon for a hot chocolate or ice cream, small wrapped chocolates or a candy cane, small jewelry or charms, small toys, buttons or pins, patches, keychain or power sticks.
                                     

Thanksgiving On the Side

To most thanksgiving day cooks, roasting the perfect turkey and making the most delicious gravy are the key to a successful celebration. But, because we are vegetarians, showing up to the table with the perfect sides is our goal. When our guests are talking about the vegetables and stuffing as much as the Turkey, we know we won. Besides the mashed potatoes, cranberries, homemade applesauce and salads, the stuffing and corn and winter squash dishes are our family’s favorites. We have yet to find another dish that surpasses the flavors of these two dishes.

The first side dish that we cannot seem to live without on the thanksgiving table is Corn and Winter Squash with Spinach.  This recipe has been adapted from a  Bon Appetit recipe from 1998. The original included bacon and cooking the vegetables in the bacon grease, I changed that and cook the vegetables in olive oil.  This year we added Brussel Sprouts!

Our Country-Bread Stuffing with Vegetables was adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine from 2001. The original recipe calls for pine nuts, and since we have a family member that has a nut allergy, we have omitted the nuts from the recipe. I have included the pine nuts and a few other add in possibilities to the end of the recipe (see below).

 Corn and Winter Squash with Spinach Recipe:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 ½ pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ⅓ inch pieces
2 cups Brussel sprouts, cleaned and halved

9 ounces of baby spinach leaves (about 1 ½ bags)

16 ounce package frozen corn, thawed

6 tablespoons of chopped, fresh basil

Saute onions, squash and brussel sprouts in olive oil over medium heat until squash is tender, about 12 minutes.  Add spinach and corn and toss until spinach wilts and corn is heated through, about five minutes.  Stir in basil, season with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl and serve.  Option with bacon: omit olive oil, cook nine slices of bacon until crisp about 10 minutes and then add the onions, brussel sprouts and squash, then continue as above.

 Country-Bread Stuffing With Parmesan and Vegetables

Recipe:

2 14.5-ounce loaves country style white or whole wheat sourdough bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into ¾ inch pieces (about 16 cups)

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups freshly graded parmesan cheese (can be omitted)

¼ cup (½ stick) butter

2 very large red onions, coarsely chopped 

31/2 cups coarsely chopped celery

2 large red bell peppers, coarsely chopped

8 garlic cloves, chopped

4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

4 teaspoons dried oregano

½ to ¾ cup thinly sliced fresh basil

4 large eggs, beaten

Canned low salt vegetable broth

Optional: ¾ cup raisins 

                                  ¾ cup pine nuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place half of bread pieces in large bowl, add three tablespoons oil and toss to coat.  Optional: add half a cup of parmesan cheese and toss.  Spread bread in single layer on one prepared sheet, repeat above steps with remaining bread and spread on second sheet.  Bake bread until golden, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Cool on sheets, transfer to a large bowl.  

Melt a quarter cup of butter with the remaining two tablespoons of oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions, celery, and bell peppers, saute for about 15 minutes.  Add chopped garlic, rosemary, and oregano; stir one minute.  If using add in raisins and pine nuts, stir two minutes. Transfer that to bowl with the bread, stir half a cup of basil and remaining parmesan into stuffing. Season generously with salt and pepper.  Mix eggs into stuffing.  

To bake stuffing in dish:

Spread mixture into buttered 15x10x2 inch baking dish,  add ¾ to 1 ¼ cups of vegetable broth throughout.  Cover with buttered foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Towards the end, remove foil for crisp, browned edges.  Sprinkle on remaining basil and serve.

Bahn Mi - My Way

We love Bahn Mi.  Recently, our favorite tofu Bahn Mi was removed from the menu at one of our go-to lunch spots, we were determined to create our own version.  A Bahn Mi sandwich is a vietnamese sandwich with french influence as a result of their colonization in Indochina.  Vietnamese ingredients meet french ingredients such as the baguette to create the perfect sandwich.   It's a simple recipe, perfect for lunch or a casual dinner with just a bit of preparation.   Scroll down to view the recipe!

Recipe: Makes Two

Extra Firm Tofu

Thinly Sliced Cucumbers

Red Onion

Carrot Ribbons - Slice Thinly Lengthwise using Vegetable Peeler

Red Pepper

Brown Rice Vinegar

French Baguette

Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

Garlic Cilantro Mayonnaise

Drain the tofu, then let it sit wrapped in a paper towel or clean cloth to absorb liquid for about 30-45 minutes.  Meanwhile prepare vegetables, "pickle" the carrots in a ½ cup of brown rice vinegar in a shallow bowl.  Add in onion slices and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Make sure to stir the vegetables in order to coat them with the vinegar.  Let sit until tofu is out of the oven.  Slice 8-10 cucumber slices, and thinly slice red pepper into strips. 

  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Slice tofu into 9-12 rectangular pieces and lay on a cookie tray.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown, and a little dry.  

Prepare Mayonnaise:

¼ cup of Veganaise Mayo

¼ Teaspoon of garlic powder or ½ clove minced

1 Tablespoon Dried Cilantro or 2 Tablespoons Fresh Minced Cilantro

Combine in a small bowl and let sit.

For the last couple minutes that the tofu is baking slice baguette into desired portions, then slice horizontally.   Place the slices in the oven on the top rack and toast lightly.  Remove tofu and bread from the oven.

To Assemble:

Spread mayonnaise on both sides of the bread.  Layer four pieces of tofu on each sandwich and add vegetables.  Additional topping may include: jalapeño slices, fresh cilantro, or even avocado.  Pair with fresh fruit and your favorite chip.  

Dee-Corum: Beep Beep

Beep Beep, Toot Toot.  Should I ever run for office, my first legislation will be to draft a bill making it mandatory for car manufacturers to make all cars with horns that have a maximum 500 ‘beeps’.   After that, it’s $1.00 per beep if you want more.  That’s right, 500 beeps – that’s all you get.  Here’s why …  

Somehow, in our modern society, the car horn has become less a way of communicating a dangerous situation and more a way of communicating “OUTTA MY WAY!”  It is a loud and mostly unnecessary sound that plagues those of us who choose to live in urban areas.  Light changes.  Horn beeps.  Light change.  Horn beeps.  No pause to allow the person to move the foot from brake to gas – just BEEP! 

Rather than honking off all those around you, how about counting to 3? When the light changes, just count to 3.  I’ll bet we all still get where we’re going with a lot less noise.

Toot toot!