Au Revoir Homestead

Moving is such a bummer. Especially when it throws your life into some topsy-turvy times. But it's really a bummer to leave a great house and an even better friend behind. Not to mention an endearing town and a bountiful garden. Favorite (recreated with photoshop, thanks Kevin!) moment at The Homestead:

Vegan Zucchini Brownies

When some people are out running 5ks and other such vigorous activities... I sometimes prefer to nap and eat brownies. Specifically, these brownies:

I've made these brownies twice in the past week and a half. (Not just for me! I always share!) This is the recipe. (Note: The frosting is not vegan unless you make it vegan.) It's a good excuse to use up zucchini from the garden... which is abundant! If I had considered the amount of squash one zucchini plant produces each season... I probably wouldn't have planted four. We have a lot of zucchini over here...

Taune's Tomatoes

So... I didn't grow these tomatoes. But I did get to harvest them! I was plant-sitting for a friend and these tiny baby tomatoes were ready!

They are roughly the size of a gobstopper, maybe smaller.

Blog War: Cut-Offs

Reduce, reuse, recycle is all the rage right now. As an environmentalist, feminist, handicraft-er, and human being… I’m all for that. But let it be said that some items should not be reused. The first that comes to mind being toilet paper, tampons… you probably get the idea.

A non-reusuable that is less obvious but still poses as great a health/safety risk? Cut-offs. Yes. Cut-offs. Pants cut into shorts and most commonly with the frayed threads still hanging.

Cut-Offs as Health/Safety Risk Reason #1:

Say you get it into your head that cut-offs are a good idea. Say you decide to wear said cut-offs to work. Say your profession falls outside the category of landscaper or exotic dancer. Management might not be too thrilled with your fashion sense, especially if the big boss comes around. Being someone who was already clever enough to cut your pants into shorts, you think of a quick remedy. Why not just staple those frayed ends up? It seems like a good idea until shortly thereafter when you’re bleeding from the thighs. You silently pray your tetanus booster is up to date and curse your now bloody cut-offs.

Cut-Offs as Health/Safety Risk Reason #2:

Say you are an innocent young shoe salesperson (who happens to hate feet). Say a man purposefully makes his way to you. You can tell he’s on a mission and quickly take in his details sensing a full description will somehow be necessary. Thick glasses, long wavy sandy brown ponytail fastened at the nape of the neck, white muscle tank slightly stained, gold chain hanging to the base of the ribs, and… cut-offs. Breathing heavily, he quickly explains he’s shopping for his girlfriend and inquires as to “which shoes will make a clicking sound when you walk?” Assuming he finds that sound annoying you point out all the shoes that will not slap the bottom of the foot. Wrong. Apparently, the more clickety-clackety… the better. You’ve been on the verge of repulsion but finally dive in after a special request: “You are my girlfriend’s size. Will you walk around in these shoes so I can hear how they will click?” With a quick glance to the groin and a wave of nausea you know walking in those shoes is the last thing you’ll ever do. “Um… we don’t do that here!” Essentially you’ve just learned a lesson…cut-offs = perverts.

Cut-Offs as Health/Safety Risk Reason #3:

Say there’s a heat wave. Say half the male population sheds their shirts. The only appropriate bottoms to the absence of a top? Cut-offs. They zip up their cut-offs then head down the streets. Distracted driver upon driver are perplexed over a seemingly unreported shirt caper while simultaneously squinting to read denim labels. Car wrecks are nobody’s friend (excluding auto body shops).

Clearly, the health and safety risks associated with cut-offs are far greater than the reward of feeling as though you temporarily saved spaced in a landfill. Environmentalists take note: In this instance, it is far better to toss it than to cut it.

Vegan Carrot Potato Soup

Hey. I used this...

...to turn these...

...into this!

I Didn't Think I Liked Blueberries

Apparently, I do. I headed back to my favorite family owned berry farm a few days ago to take advantage of the bountiful blueberry crop. I didn't think I really liked blueberries. I just couldn't imagine letting a harvest go by without taking part.

The berries were gigantic and basically jumped into my bucket... which helps to explain how I ended up with 5lbs.

What I can't really explain is where those 5lbs went over the course of 3 days. By the time my roommate came back into town, I found there were only a few berries left to spare and I didn't have a very good explanation. It seems that a day spent knitting and watching Planet Earth leads to the disappearance of blueberries.

Of course I did bake these lovelies, but they only required a cup.

When The Raspberries Came to Town: Jam & Pie

The raspberry craze continued at The Homestead, only it got a little crazier.

A co-worker gave me about 2lbs of raspberries in addition to the berries I picked myself. It's not like berries last forever so a serious "housewife" day was in order.

First up was jam. We decided to use this recipe from this cute little blog, Laura Rebecca's Kitchen. It was a fairly fast concoction considering it was freezer jam and not the full-on cooked variety. We strained as many seeds out of the crushed berries as we could while still having enough berry mixture, and I'd recommend it. Seeds can be so irritating. After letting the jam sit for 24 hours it was ready to be taste-tested. Super sweet but excellent with Earth Balance on baguette. Behold.

Up next came Raspberry Nectarine Pie. Wow. I think this might be my favorite pie of all time. Tart and sweet and beautiful colors. The crust was perfect and not overwhelming. I was actually sad when I opened the fridge and found an empty place where the pie had been. In the spirit of Waitress we named it "Housewifery Out of Control Pie."

We used this recipe from this other cute little blog, Participation Breeds Revolution, and this recipe for the crust. We made two pies at once...Molly on one, and me on the other. One went straight to our tummies, the other to our neighbors as a "thank you" for being vigilantes about our chickens and caterpillar invasion, in addition to just being cool laid back neighbors.

Watch the process.

What else was there for us to do but fully take on the role of housewife?

(more Housewifery-Out-of-Control photos here)