Breakfast!

So this morning I made breakfast: English muffin topped with homemade tempeh "bacon," avocado, tofu (pressed overnight) and vegan Hollandaise sauce.

Here's a pic of the tempeh "bacon" - marinated in a soy sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar concoction (plus other spices, including liquid smoke). Not much to look at but it packed a flavor punch!

Here is the finished product:

Don't you wish you were invited to breakfast at my place?

Tofu Scramble!!!

I made tofu scramble this past Memorial Day weekend - results below:




I started out the meal by sauteeing shallot, asparagus, red bell pepper, and sun-dried tomato, before crumbling the tofu into the mix (the tofu was pressed overnight in one of those Tofu Xpress contraptions). Then I seasoned the mixture with some cilantro-walnut "pesto" I had on hand. Voila! Very tasty homemade tofu scramble!

Wedding Bells Ring

April 16,2011
San Antonio, TX

People who know my sister know that she loves to cook, and that she's really great at it. When she cooks, it's a production - no 30 minute Rachel Ray meals here. Complicated spices and ingredients are involved, multiple courses, and food enough to feed a small army. If my sister's making dinner for you, you're in for a real treat.

When we lived together in New York City, we would host annual Chinese New Year gatherings, but really she did all the work because I couldn't wrap an eggroll to save my life - while Mindy would be making dumplings from scratch, including the wrappers.

I know Jeremy loves to cook, too, but I hear that these days he's in charge of making drinks because Mindy is just that great in the kitchen. Well, Jeremy, I hope that's not really the case and that you are still working some of your magic in the kitchen.

The first time I visited Mindy and Jeremy in San Francisco, they decided to make ravioli. Jeremy then proceeded to make the pasta from scratch, cranking out sheet after sheet and cutting the dough into little squares so that they could be filled. Mindy, though, just had to show off, and made stuffed zucchini flowers and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette for our salad.

Teamwork produced an amazing meal, and I'm glad I got to share it with the both of you.

Mindy and Jeremy, I think you make a fabulous team. I wish you countless more delicious meals made together - the best ones include lots of love, and I know you have that in abundance for each other.

Congratulations.

Road trip!

So this past Sunday, I rented a car and drove (by myself!) from New York City up to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary to do some volunteer stuff. Getting out of the city was pretty terrifying without a navigator, and I kept a death grip on the steering wheel until I got on the highway. At that point, I could relax a bit. The drive up was not spectactular - spring hasn't quite arrived and so there wasn't much greenery for my scenery. :)

Things at the farm, however, were much spring-ier. The weather was in the 60s, and the animals were enjoying the sunshine. Here are some of the ducks at the duck pond:

I thought the sheep were looking hilarious - normally I visit in the fall when their winter coats haven't grown yet. At this time of year, they are in full fur. And they posed so nicely for me! This is Louise (you can read about her story here):

Baa-aaa...

I also visited with the goats (they were also chillin' in the sunshine), the cows, the chickens and one big pig on his own (Peter).

I hope to be visiting them all again soon. You should, too! Until then, why don't you make a donation? The sanctuary is smack in the middle of a matching fund drive - your donation gets doubled if you make it now! These ridiculously cute critters have survived horribly cruel starts to life - now they can live out the rest of their days as they should...with your help. Click donate to make your gift today!

Vegas, baby!

Earlier this month, I was in Las Vegas for my sister's bachelorette - six women, one weekend of non-stop fun. Which is why I needed to carve out some alone time in between roller coasters (New York, New York), afternoon cocktails (Mon Ami Gabi @ the Paris), fancy dinners (The Mix @ Mandalay, First @ the Venetian), poolside lounging, Thunder from Down Under (oh, yes, we did) and Tao nightclub.


So I decided to have a lovely meal by myself at Otto (yes, Batali also has one in NYC), "outside" on the "Piazza San Marco" at the Venetian, where we were staying. First, a glass of Lambrusco and some bread - a simple start (breadsticks from Italy - so kitschy!) - though the addition of balsamic was questionable, IMO.

And during my meal, I had live opera entertainment on the piazza. Note the lovely weather!

And best of all, a delicious pizza (Pizza Marinara) for one...with lots of garlic to ensure that number would STAY at one.

I closed the meal with a Venetian Spritzer to go (poolside). Ahhh.

And just for fun, here's a cool shot from our outdoor table at the Paris the day before:

See you in June, Vegas!

South Beach!

It's been several months since my last post...partly because I haven't had a moment to breathe since starting my new job at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (woot!). I've been traveling non-stop, though I can't complain too much because one of my work destinations was Miami (love it!) for Winter Party Festival - much appreciated after a bitterly cold New York City winter. Below is a rearview pic of the Surfcomber, WPF headquarters.


And here we have a shot of the boardwalk...



...and the beach...

...where I got hit on by two 25 year old Dutch boys who followed me from the coffee shop - must've been the tight jeans, which were tight only because I bought them when I was six or seven pounds lighter. :) Hehe.

And saving the best for last, a random crowd shot (topless men!) of the WPF Sunday beach party - note the "interesting" constumes the dancers are wearing:

In case you're wondering, I'm still white as a ghost - 1) no time to lay out and 2) I had on 100+ SPF (that'll do it). Oh, well...maybe this weekend's Vegas trip will rectify my color-challenged state...