Felt Like Knitting

Book Review and Giveaway: The Market Vegan

I currently eat meat, but I've been a vegetarian a few times in my life.  Once I tried eating a vegan diet, but I didn't eat the right things and I quickly felt yucky.  There was more I needed to know to keep myself healthy.

Lately I've become more interested in eating vegan meals.  I already make some vegan-friendly things like vegetable chili, but I would love to make desserts and casseroles that don't contain dairy products.  That would make me very happy.  And it would make me happy if my family would eat the same foods I want to eat.

Enter Laura Gesin and her e-cookbook called The Market Vegan:  A Collection of Vegan Home Tested Recipes.  I discovered Laura through her podcast, Apocalyptic Diner.  Her cookbook contains 33 recipes and includes recipes for creamy soups, baked goods and desserts and even quiche!  After trying several recipes, I know I'll be making more vegan meals from this great cookbook.

Stir fry made with tofu and vegetables 

I decided to first make a tofu stir fry using the Asian Style Tofu Marinade.  What a great idea to marinate the tofu before cooking with it!  Usually when I throw tofu into a stir fry, it doesn't take on much of the flavor of the sauce I add at the end.  Not so with this recipe.  The tofu had a great flavor.  I used some of the marinade to flavor the vegetables, too.  Served over Barilla PLUS pasta, this was a pretty healthy meal.  The only modification I will make next time is to use a little less vinegar.  It didn't taste bad, I just don't use a lot of vinegar in my cooking so the flavor was a bit strong for me.

Red Lentil Curry with Vegan "Naan"

Next up was Red Lentil Curry with Vegan "Naan."  I love lentils and pita bread, but I'm not a fan of dishes using curry powder so I wasn't sure if I'd like it.  The same is true of cilantro - a little goes a long way with me.  But I loved this dish!  The flavor was really good.  This was a quick cooking meal and I can see myself making it often.  

About using lentils:  I found out that not all lentils are created equal.  I shopped at my local grocery store instead of the natural foods store and my grocery store didn't stock red lentils.  The lentils I bought required a longer cooking time.  I definitely want to try red lentils the next time I cook this.

To fulfill my desire to make non-dairy dishes my family will eat, I made the Vegetable Casserole.  This dish combines potatoes and several other vegetables with a creamy sauce.  Another win!  This was very tasty and I can see my family eating this as a side dish.  It would be easy to experiment with other vegetables or maybe even use the sauce recipe in scalloped potatoes.  

Another thing I learned:  do not use whole wheat flour to thicken sauces.  If you are out of white flour, opt for cornstarch instead! 

Peanut Butter Pie

The dish I was most looking forward to making was the Peanut Butter Pie.  Since I'm lactose intolerant and most desserts include dairy products, I usually end up taking an enzyme when I eat dessert.  That is handy, but it can get expensive.  Problem solved!  This pie is delicious!  It has a nice texture and a great flavor.  

This pie sets up in the freezer.  I was so looking forward to trying it that I cut into it too early and it was more like pudding pie.  Steve thought it was okay, but he didn't like the texture.  The next night he had another piece and said it was really good!  And I shared it with a vegan friend at church.  He loved it and has asked for information on how to get the cookbook.

There are many more recipes I look forward to making from this book like Eggplant & Italian Bread "Lasagna," Vegetable Lo Mein, and Pumpkin Scones.  And it will be easy to make them.  The recipes don't take much time to make and they call for common ingredients found in most stores.  The vegan products like cream cheese, cheddar cheese and almond milk were easy to find at my local grocery store.

This is my first time using an e-cookbook and I have to admit that I printed it out before I even thought about putting it on my Kindle Touch.  So much for trying to be "with it"...  Even though it's designed for the Kindle Fire (and Nook, iPad, PC and Mac), I found that it was pretty easy to see in landscape mode once I finally put it on the Touch.  I found the type to be a little small in portrait mode, but that could just be my eyes or the fact that the Touch is smaller than the Fire.

Another great thing about this book is that purchasers will get three updates between now and May 31, 2013.  How cool is that?  I can't wait to see what else Laura creates!  She plans to revamp the table of contents to include sections for recipe types and she may be including page numbers for people like me who may want to print it.  

I totally recommend this cookbook!  To get your copy, go to Laura's website, VoxPopNJ.com, and you will see the cookbook on the right sidebar.  Laura was kind enough to give me a free review copy and since I loved the cookbook, I want to pass on a free electronic copy of this cookbook to one lucky reader.  

Please leave a comment on this blog post about why you want to try vegan recipes,  a favorite vegan dish you have already tried or even just "I'd love to try this cookbook!"  Comments will remain open until Friday, September 14, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern when I will use a random number generator to select a winner.  I will announce the winner here on that day.  Good luck!  And happy cooking!

Taking the plunge

Well, I decided to buy a Kindle.  I didn't plan on getting one because I like reading books - holding them, turning the pages, going to the library to get them, seeing them on my bookshelves...  But then I got some Christmas money and an email from a friend.  A book she had recommended was selling for 99 cents (The Kindle Daily Deal).  I hadn't been able to find that book at the library or at used book stores.  Suddenly having a Kindle seemed like a good idea if I could get books for 99 cents (and for free, too).  I can't see myself giving up paper books entirely, but I do like having this option.  The Kindle iPhone app is great, too!  Tonight I started to knit a cabled pouch for the Kindle.  It looks like I'll have to start over because it's a bit too big.  Do you have a Kindle and do you enjoy it?

Thanks for joining me on my Drawer-A-Day Challenge (or Drawer-A-Week Challenge for some)! I'd say that misery loves company but there is no misery here because so far I am really enjoying getting things cleaned out and taking before and after photos.

I've started a blog to document my progress.  If you are cleaning along with me and want your blog in the sidebar, let me know.

 

Book Club and Berg

I've decided to join my neighborhood's book club.  When it was first started I had a time conflict and then I forgot it was going on.  But recently I saw something about it on Facebook and decided to jump in.  (Plus, last November someone was asking for directions to our house.  A neighbor knew who Steve and Emma were but not me.  Hmm... time to get a little more involved?)

This month's selection was Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, the author of The Time Traveler's Wife.  I usually do not like ghost stories, but this book wasn't too creepy.  The premise is that two twins, Julia and Valentina, inherit a London flat (next to Highgate Cemetery) from their Aunt Elspeth, who was a twin to their mother, Edie.  There is some family secret that the girl's can't figure out and strange things are happening in their new home.

I liked the character development in this book.  It felt like I really got to know each person and cared about them.  The history of the book was interesting and when I get back to London, I'd like to visit the cemetery.  I wish I had looked at the cemetery's web site as I was reading the book.  It is much larger than I pictured.

Being a person who loves totally happy endings, the conclusion left me feeling a bit hollow.  Some characters' stories were wrapped up neatly but I would have preferred different endings for others.  However I suppose it ended the way it needed to.  Wish I could be less vague but I don't want to ruin it for you if you read it.  :)

When I picked up this book, I also checked out two books by Elizabeth Berg.  Talk Before Sleep is a story of two best friends, one who is dying from breast cancer.  Open House is about a woman who is discovering herself while going through a divorce.  Both were good books and yesterday I checked out two more by Berg. 

The Fixer Upper

I recently downloaded a library app called iBookshelf to keep track of my books, people I loan them to, etc.  I have several books that I've borrowed so I decided I should read those books and return them.  The first book I chose was The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews.  (It must be a very popular book because it even has a video game based on it!) Last year I read Deep Dish and enjoyed it so I figured I would also like TFU.

And I was right.  I did enjoy this book.  (Thanks for loaning it to me, Mary!)  Living in Georgia and reading a book written by a Georgian author is always a lot of fun.  I feel like I know the characters personally and have been in their houses.  Actually, I enjoy Southern literature in general.

The main character, Dempsey Killebrew, is a lobbyist in D.C. who happens to get in the middle of a political and legal mess.  While things are calming down up north, she moves to a small town in rural Georgia to fix up a house that has been left to her father.  

Some of the plot is a bit predictable since it a romance.  But there are some fun twists and an exciting ending.  If you like easy-to-read books set in the South, this is a book you will enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Ten on Tuesday: 10 books on your summer reading list

I usually don't read except during the summer and it's a treat.  I kind of go crazy in the library and grab anything that looks good.  (I know, that whole judging a book by its cover thing doesn't really work!  But that's what I tend to do.)  Then friends recommend books and soon I have a long list of things I'll never get around to reading - kind of like my knitting pattern queue on Ravelry.  Here is what's in my "reading queue" right now:

1.  The Jane Austen Book Club - I'm reading this right now.  So far it's okay but I'm not wild about it yet.  Has anyone seen the movie?  Is it good?

2.  The Fixer Upper - I just finished reading Deep Dish by the same author and enjoyed it.  The books are set in Georgia and it's fun to see landmarks pop up in the text.

3.  The Swan House - Another Atlanta book that a friend recommended to me.

4.  Magnolia Wednesdays - This book is set even closer to home and takes place in the suburb of Atlanta that I'm most familiar with.  I'm 53 in line for it at the library right now.

5.  Jane Austen in Boca - Okay, I know you are seeing a theme here - Southern books or Jane Austen books.  :)

6.  No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club - The cover and the title caught my eye.  It had mostly good reviews on Amazon, so I'll give it a go.

7.  Verbena - I'm not sure what drew me to this book.  I guess the cover...

8.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and the The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Mary recommended these to me.  I watched the little video on Amazon and I think my husband might enjoy these on video tape.  Does anyone know if a guy who enjoyed the Bourne books would also enjoy these?

9.  Outlander - This is also on the list Mary shared with me and it has a ton of good reviews on Amazon.

10.  The Other Boleyn Girl - I saw this movie so I'm not sure about reading it now.  But it's also been recommended to me and had great reviews on Amazon.  Any thoughts?

Well, my list is longer than ten but I'll play by the rules and stop here.  (Sort of - I guess I cheated on #8!)  If you'd like to share what you're reading, head over to Carole's and add your post to her list of contributors.  If you'd like to participate regularly, Carole now has an email list that automatically sends out the topic on Sunday.  Thanks, Carole!

Book review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

A while ago my mom told me about a book she really enjoyed, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  Then recently Molly also told me how great it is.  So I checked it out of the library.  I finally got to start it yesterday and finished it today.  It's not a long book and it was so good that I read instead of knitted while I waited at Emma's dentist appointment and a meeting she had.

From the book's website:

January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

I highly recommend this book!  I enjoyed the history, the stories, and the friendships.  In some books it can be distracting to have chapters change points of view, but it works in this book through letters written from one person to another.  The difficult part of this book was the violence of WWII.  Not everything has a happy ending in the story but I guess it wouldn't seem right to have it that way.  All in all, it is a wonderful read!

My mom and I discussed the book this evening and decided to have a long distance mother-daughter book club.  We are first going to read Pictures from an Expedition by Diane Smith followed by Home by Marilynne Robinson.  Let us know if you'd like to join us.  We can have a long distance mother-daughter-friends book club.  :)

Common school questions

When Steve's grandmother and grandfather died several years ago, his mom gave me some of their books.  I'm not sure if it's because they are school books or because they are old.  Whatever the reason, I am honored and pleased to have them.  I got them out yesterday to display (more on that later) and thought you might enjoy seeing one of them:  Craig's New Common School Question Book.  I'm surprised to see that it's still in print.  If I had the recent edition, it would be fun to compare the questions in the current edition to those from long ago.  But we can at least see what students in 1900 needed to know...

Wouldn't you know I'd get a picture of missing pages?

  I should take a closer look before I snap a photo.

• United States History
• Geography
• Reading
• English Grammar
• Letter Writing
• Orthography, Orthoepy, Phonology
• Written Arithmetic
• Theory and Practice of Teaching
• Bookkeeping
• Drawing
• Alcohol and Tobacco
• Civil Government
• Physiology, Anatomy and Hygiene
• Participles and Infinitives
• Writing
• Test Problems (mathematical problems)
• Parliamentary Rules

While many of the answers would be the same today for history, geography, etc., there are some topics that give a glimpse back in time.

From the chapter on Theory and Practice of Teaching:

8.  How can we estimate a nation's place in the scale of civilization?

We can judge it by the history of its schools, the universal distribution of the same general knowledge.  Knowledge is the lever that controls the progress of the world.  It is the sword of success, the armor of defence, and that power that prevails.

17.  What should be done for the school grounds?

They should be thoroughly drained, dry, level, sodded, ornamented with shade trees, neatly fenced, and supplied with pure water.

From the chapter on Alcohol and Tobacco:

1.  How and by whom was alcohol discovered?

It is said that Paracelsus, a chemist of the fourteenth century, accidentally discovered alcohol, and upon testing its power boasted of having found the essence of life, the power to cure the weak, and the great benefactor of mankind.

10.  What is the difference between food and alcohol?

Food nourishes and sustains the body; alcohol excites the nervous system, clouds the intellect, poisons the blood and injures the body.

From the chapter on Geography:

347.  What can be said of New York?

In wealth, population, and commercial importance, it holds the first rank in the Union.

353.  What is the estimated population of the City of New York?

It is estimated about about 3,500,000.  (In 2008, the population was estimated to exceed 8.3 million.)

Do you feel more learned now?

The Invisible Woman

Recently, I was tagged by Moo and Jessica for a book meme.  The idea is to turn to page 161 of a book you're reading and post the fifth sentence.  (Feel free to play along if you like.  I've decided not to tag anyone.)  I thought I wasn't reading anything then I remembered a little book that a friend recently gave me called The Invisible Woman.  It's a short book, so I'll use page 61 instead.

In various forms they are shouting into the world, or whispering into our hearts, "We see you."

This refers to a group of female artists who have created works "from an unseen place, trying to make their way in the world."  The author, Nicole Johnson, mentions Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, Janis Ian, Georgia O'Keefe, Flannery O'Connor, and Carole King and says that all these women have created art out of feelings of invisibility.

Have you ever felt invisible, like nobody sees what you're doing or notices you?  Maybe you ask your family to turn down the TV and nobody listens.  Or maybe the laundry gets done but nobody seems to care.  The author says that God sees and cares.  He sees the work you do and the piece of art you are becoming.

I'll close with an encouraging excerpt:

I'll keep building away, pouring my heart into this life, trusting that it is not in vain.  I'll carve tiny birds into things that few eyes will ever notice.  I will see my work as prayer, and trust that His eyes miss nothing.  I will resist the temptation to live only in the now and keep reminding myself that I cannot see how wide the influence of my life could be, nor the length of my possible legacy.  Those are not for me to know.  It is for me to keep building, and pray that long after I'm gone, my work will stand as a great monument to an even greater God.

Finished

E and I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this morning.  We both really enjoyed it.  But I always end up crying when I read and this book was no exception.  I cried when it was sad, when it was happy, when something sentimental happened, and when it ended.  It's all done, you know?  No more HP books to look forward to.  Sigh...  We're going to buy the book on CD for S so he can listen on his way to and from work.

We got a cool package today.  Katie did some custom embroidery for me and sent some goodies along in the package.  I haven't taken a picture yet, but you can see something similar here.  Aren't they cute?!  I'll be sure to post a picture soon.  Thank you so much, Katie!  (And I can highly recommend Katie's embroidery skills.  I can't show you a picture of the project because it's a secret right now.  But it turned out beautifully!)

One last thing...we are finally fed up with AOL and plan to change our e-mail addresses.  So I now have a new blog e-mail address:  feltlikeknitting [at] gmail [dot] com.  I think having a separate e-mail for blogging will help me a lot.

Snowflake Bentley

In the days

when farmers worked with ox and sled

and cut the dark with lantern light,

there lived a boy who loved snow

more than anything else in the world.

Snowflake Bentley is a wonderful book about a man who dedicates his life to capturing pictures of snowflakes.  Ann over at Mason-Dixon Knitting captured some wonderful snowflake pictures that reminded me of this book.  No two snowflakes are alike and he documented so many shapes.  Wilson Bentley even published a book of his photographs which can still be purchased or checked out of the library.  I thought I saw a flake or two this morning, but I never could be sure.  Snowflakes in Atlanta are kind of rare.

Last night, S asked if I would knit him a scarf!  Yea!  He never asks me to knit anything, so this will be a treat.  I'm thinking of knitting the Brioche scarf from Weekend Knitting if Malabrigo will work for the pattern.  That was one of two specifications - the yarn had to be soft.  It also cannot be pink.  :)

Enjoy your weekend!  (Ours is really busy.)  And stay warm!