Sunday Funday

Ok, not really...still writing prelims, so there's not much fun happening these days. This week, though, we went bowling, survived not one but TWO nasty storms, had a beautiful rainbow to enjoy, and wrote, wrote, wrote.

Pictures follow...

adorable bowling shoes

credit for the following rainbow pictures go to Toni Foy, who actually took the time to use a REAL camera, instead of her cell phone camera, which is why I did not get as nice a shot, lol! Thanks, Toni for letting me borrow these pics!

This one is curtesy of pal Zeppelyn

this one...is taken by me. see what I mean!

My adorable friend Molly, holding one of the gifts my adorable friend Scott sent to me to help with Prelims stuff! Look at all that static!

This little pro-life baby is getting me through the writing process. Ok, not really, but I do like this picture. I move the baby pretty much everyday to a new spot, and when I glance up and see it, it makes me giggle...it reinvigorates me! Yay for writing!!

Friend Friday: Shannon

I don't know how I could not write about my longest running friend, Shannon. Now, I've probably got this story all wrong, but in my telling of this story, Shannon and I have been friends since the day she was born. You see, she's a year younger than I, by 363 days (that's right), and since our folks have lived on the same street since she was born, I have to assume this is correct.

That said, we've been friends for (shhhh) 33 (almost 34) years! (happy early birthday, Shannon!)

Ok, so what I can I tell you about Shannon?
Well, she's sweet, always has been. She has three adorable children; though, in all honesty, I think I've only met one of them...that's a different story! She's great with kids! She's smart; she's working on her nursing degree these days, I believe. She's just generally swell...

She used to share her barbies with me...oh, we played barbies so very much! We swam together. We played in the yard together. We caught horn toads together in our yards. We road bikes. We roller skated. We had soooo much fun!

And, then one day, we grew apart...but not in that "I don't like you" way...nono, we grew apart in that "we don't live next door to each other" way. My parents went splitsy, and my dad continued to live across the road, so I only saw her every other weekend or so. And, as time went on, we went to different schools, hung out with different crowds, and blah blah blah. But, it doesn't change the fact that she's always been my first and dearest friend, and though we are very different (and, we are!), I know we're still buds! And, nowadays, we have the book of faces to keep in touch...

See, the book of faces is good for some things!!!

(Oh, and to show you how much I loved barbies...here's a picture of me!)

:)
C

Recipe Thursday: BBQ Seitan

I think I mentioned early on that I'd share this recipe. It's super simple...

BBQ Seitan Sandwich

1 package seitan (as I've mentioned a million times before, I prefer Westsoy), chopped (you can also chop it in the pan with your spatula if you're good at that sort of thing) to your desired consistency (I like finely chopped)
BBQ sauce (I prefer KC Master piece)
buns, pickles, mustard, onions, etc. ("the fixins")

In a lightly oiled pan, cook seitan to desired consistency--I prefer to cook it to a little crispy because it adds to the texture. When prepared, add bbq sauce and let simmer until warm. When warm, spoon onto bun and top with preferred "fixins."

This recipe works really well in bulk too. We made it for some friends who were getting married and doing potluck style bbq, cooking up about 6-8 packages, and after it was prepared following the above directions, we tossed it into a crock pot to serve to our friends. It tasted awesome and held up great!

Enjoy!

Friend Friday: Yikes!

I totally forgot to post my "friend" last Friday, so here's a quickie for ya.

Ryan! She's my favorite! We met volunteering at Rainbow Cafe, which is a local spot for GLBT youth to hang out. She's fun, she's talented, she's smart, and she's my friend.

:)
C

365 Pictures...

No much happening this week....just writing, but here's what I can share with ya: 

Because I started Preliminary exams Monday, Sunday we spent some time cleaning the house...the first couple are pictures we took after cleaning!

yum...Pi Pizzeria (I think I shared this one last week, oops!)

The first that I wrote of three....

yum, spaghetti squash!

eek, raptured!

The 2nd of three--started Saturday!

I would turn this, if I knew how! It's just a little ole receipt for our first tank of gas in the new car!

No cooking...

Dr.Blueberry's been cooking for the recent several weeks, and I'm out of ideas at the moment...Plus, I'm writing my preliminary exams, so I can't even consider what to post at the moment. This aspect of my blog will return to you in a couple of weeks...

Promise!
:)

365 Pictures...

Because I love this picture, I'm posting it again!

Dr.Blueberry and I bought a new car!

I just LOVE this gal!

Yum---Pi Pizza in St Louis, MO!

Cleaning spree--bathroom style!

And, bedroom style! I start preliminary exams this week, so Dr.Blueberry and I cleaned the house (so that I don't have any distractions, lol)! We did good!

My friend (and now) Dr.Jamie Huber (4th from left) and a group of fabulous academic and professional women mentors!

Friend Friday: QQQQ

Yeah, since I don't have any friends whose name begins with the letter Q, I thought I'd take this day to get caught up...or get ahead...on other stuff! Next week I begin preliminary exams (yikes!), so I'm gonna be a mess for the upcoming 30 days--hope y'all enjoy that!

Hope you're having a quiet Friday, restful and easy!

:)

Decadent Brownies (From The Garden of Vegan)

I made these last month to share with friends on Molly's birthday, and Suzanne asked for the recipe. Since I keep forgetting to simply send it to her, I thought I'd simply share the recipe here...

Decadent Brownies

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder [you can substitute carob for the cocoa]
3/4 cup dry sweetener
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup soy milk
1/3 cup olive oil [I use EVOO]
1/2 cup nuts (your choice; e.g., pecans, walnuts, etc.), chopped

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, sweetener, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the soy milk, oil, and nuts. Stir gently until "just mixed." Pour mixture into a lightly oiled 8x8 baking pan [I use glass], and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 8-16 brownies, depending on how you cut them.


From P.191 of The Garden of Vegan, written by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer


These are, IMHO, the best books (there are two others by the same authors) for vegan cooking/baking. The recipes do not call for spices and such that I don't have (read: I can make everything in these books with what I already have in my kitchen normally), and the directions aren't like following Julia Childs! Simplicity is the answer!

365 Pictures...

A beautiful walk on Tuesday across campus...

Speakers Forum presenters--I did not take this picture!

Look closely just left of the stump....ya see it? Woody Woodpecker? Amazing!

We are selling this beast!

My friend Vince took this one...Somewhere in California (San Fran area, maybe?). Isn't it a gorgeous day!

A bit of research...

One of the ideas I had when creating this blog was that I would likely spend some time sharing my research...I haven't done that so much lately, so I thought I'd drop a bit on you now.

So for almost a year now, I've been doing research on body image--a paper that will come to fruition (a.k.a. completion) within the coming month--and today I wanted to do a bit of extra reading, when I came upon this blog. Now, I don't know if I can call myself a blogger--I've only been doing this for four months now--but I'm  loving the blog-o-sphere, especially when it provides me with gems like this blog entry!

So, for those interested, perhaps I'll continue this conversation, as the writing progresses....but for now, a little light reading for ya! Oh, and in case you're wondering, I kinda love my body, even if it doesn't fit the "stereotypical beauty!"

(read the blog!)
:)

Friend Friday: Patrick

As I think about my Pal Patrick: former instructor, current friend, and Golden Girls and Designing Women connoisseur, I can only recall fond memories... But, in the summer of 2009, I have my fondest (and first) memory of P: the Gender and Higher Education course. First, know that this was such a great and informative course! I learned so much about myself in that class, especially about the ways I've been schooled; and the course has informed much of my research. Anyways, aside from that (important) note, I made a great deal of groovy education friends that summer. And, finally, I got to hear about P's black bird problem...

Now, if you've read any of my blog, you've figured out already that I'm a vegetarian, eating a vegan diet but really for health reasons (rather than social reasons). That said, I also have a tender heart. And, one day, P came to class talking about shooting the black birds in his yard, that if I recall correctly, they had been eating his squirrel food, an issue that he was none to happy about! The description kept going on and on (and on), and my friends were watching me and listening to him. And, at some point, I remember getting a little teary-eyed! I don't like to even kill spiders and wasps (granted, I will do so if they enter my safety zone!), but birds....yikes!

Ok, so the story probably has an ending, but alas, the important part is that he stopped talking about the bird, did his Cher impersonation (and, for the record, he does an AH-MAZING Cher!), and all has been well ever since! I'm curious if he even remembers this bird storying...

I adore me some Patrick! He's superbly swell, challenges my thinking in so many ways, and is just fun!

I dig!

Recipe TODAY!

From my friend at Finer Things Club

http://finerthingsclub.blogspot.com/2011/05/strawberry-wrap.html

This looks like a divinely healthy after-school treat, especially during the summer when the strawberries are at their sweetest! YUM!

Thanks, FTC!

365 Pictures...

convertible hummer in the DFW area, TX

a lovely mural in a park in town. such a peaceful looking day, but it has just been raining and raining around here

My dear friend Satoshi brought my this tulip to congratulate me for earning a research fellowship for next year. so.sweet.

My BLT for interested parties. YUM!

I took pictures this week in the department theatre again...so, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites...there's a lot of movement in this show. beautiful.