ya that’s dairy free sour cream
black beans with fried potatoes has become one of my favorite dishes over the last few years. back in my “i can eat all the dairy i want days” i used to top these babies with some yummy goat cheese. oh how the times have changed. however tofuti dairy free sour cream and some paul newman’s salsa still made this round of tacos pretty damn good!
…and I just noticed they were all on trays. What does that mean???
Breakfast: Thursday Morning Pancake.
Lunch: Leftover Veggie Pad Thai with rice and homemade Cashew Rangoon on my snazzy new tray.
Dinner: Finger Foods (including an amazing Lemon, Mango Stilton Cheese) while catching up on our reading.
(The idea of reading our books during dinner was inspired by Ana. Thanks for the new tradition Miss!)
while organizing my beer drawer, yes i have a beer drawer in the fridge, i discovered the last 2 bottles of some pumpkin ale. its spring time, time for shandies not nutty ales. so what to do with these beers so they don’t go to waste? lets do some bbq!! first i slow cooked turkey tenderloins in the pumpkin ale with cinnamon and nutmeg. then i shredded the meat added mustard bbq sauce to the juices and slow cooked it once again. this was a saturday night dinner to die for. the sauce turned out spicy with the cinnamon and nutmeg and the potato salad i made to go with it i’ll say was one of the best i’ve done. my secret….honey mustard 
As you might remember, I love The Village Deli in Bloomington Indiana (my sweethearts hometown).
The Village Deli…
My sweetheart…
I usually get the VVD sandwich with homemade potato chips, but this time we showed up before they were serving lunch. At first I was disappointed, but then I realized it was a chance to try something different. I always get the same thing because I only get to eat there once or twice a year, so I told my self to seize the opportune moment (as Captain Jack Sparrow would say) and order the veggie Eggs Benedict.
I was not disappointed. The meal didn’t come with potatoes, and I love to smear hollandaise sauce on a crispy hash brown, so I ordered a side of home fries. I was thinking a scoop on the side, but no….a whole bowl.
We also had fabulous crunchy ice…strange thing to note, but not if you enjoy crunchy ice.
John had his standard eating out breakfast fancied up a bit with an English muffin…
Thank you Village Deli for bring out the pirate in me.
Sunday I was just starting my bread on its first rise when the power went out for no particular reason. There was a moment of panic…but then I remembered Julia’s cookery bookery advice on slowing down rising bread (stick it in the fridge and get it cold).
With this thought in my head I went for a walk and hoped the electricity would come back on before I came home so I wouldn’t have to open the fridge. I also needed a few things at the store and I decided to walk there too. It’s just around the corner and great for all of my forget-me-not ingredients.
Do you see the flaw in my logic yet?
The store is so close to our house that their lights were off. Customers were allowed to shop if they didn’t use a debit card (luckily I had brought cash). It was exciting and slightly scary, like a grocery store haunted house.
There were a few emergency lights, just enough so the cashiers could count the money, but whole sections, like the frozen area, were almost pitch black. Just as I was grabbing my last item the electricity kicked on with the mighty roar of industrial refrigerators. I got home in time to punch down my bread for the second rise.
Even though I didn’t have to try Julia’s cooling method for slowing down a bread rise, it was still a good grocery store adventure (and you know, I don’t have as many of those as I have bread baking adventures).
raspberry vinaigrette, roasted garlic, fried potatoes….oh my
what is a better way to kick off spring than to make a giant spinach salad. i roasted garlic and onions, added in some fried potatoes and a little bit of vegetarian bacon. tossed in some dates and then topped the bed of veggies with 2 perfectly poached eggs. hello bottle of raspberry vinaigrette dressing and rose wine and springtime is mine!
my plate full of pizza
its a pizza pie!! a margarita pizza to be exact. calculating all dietary needs the pizza was gluten and dairy free. but that didn’t effect the taste none. along with it was salad and garlic bread sticks. and for dessert…..vegan brownies with peanut butter frosting. all at the party agreed, bellies full, it was a success!
elise and cynthia ready to dig in
so rich so good
