CosmopoLizzie

2012-11-17T15:19:00.001-08:00

Today we are working on the facial and nail rooms again. Right now there is joint compound and drywall dust all over the floor. Monday all this must be clean and ready for me to get my clients done for the Thanksgiving holiday. After 29 years doing hair, I'm still surprised how many people need their hair done for Thanksgiving. But at least the studio and my clients will look good. I'll be ready for a day off too.

Technology has it's drawbacks

2012-05-26T12:58:00.001-07:00

I have been most frustrated this past couple of weeks with my computer and some of the services I have installed, and joined a couple of websites for help. Problem is, you need to know a little bit of the jargon when you get there. It's that "When in Rome" thing, and for all my interest and desperation, I was more than a little lost. So I did what I always do when I'm in unfamiliar territory, I faked it. Not well, I might add. Apparently, to talk to a real person about your real problem, you have to sit and wait, like you're applying for federal aid. It took me a whole day on my own to totally screw up the machine, (no longer my friend) and I would have to wait perhaps days to fix the problem. I followed some bad instructions that wiped out my operating system and had to start all over, reinstalling Windows, all my antivirus, etc. But in the end, I have a faster operation, safer, and, with the exception of not being able to download photos, (and that's my current project) I have come to the conclusion that I like drinking. Best wine for working on a computer, any, and keep it coming.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

2012-05-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

Bradley Morgan

My Scottie Bradley is just about the cutest dog on the planet. I'm sure there are other cutest dogs on the planet, but this one is my own, my precious.
It is amazing to me how well he has me trained. And even Steve has become trained, albeit unwillingly. B-Rad likes to wait at our bedroom door in the morning so Steve can let him out and get his food and water. Then Steve and I debate who will let him out to poop after he eats breakfast while we're having ours. Steve loses unless he's especially crabby. I have to go out to get Bradley back in, because he starts to wander. There are swamp bunnies, squirrels, and tomcats to chase after. He has no regard for my clean floors as he comes in covered in dew, weed seeds, and grass clippings. He is nonchalant and stubborn as I try to clean him up a bit before allowed on the tile and rugs. Oh well. I own a mop and a vacuum. He watches me work as if I were created to follow behind His Royal Highness with a swiffer. For all of his necessary treatment, he allows us to throw a ball for him. He has no other reward for us, except to lay around the house, allowing us to adore, admire, and envy him. I wonder if he even knows who the alphas are here.

Comfort Foods Veganized-Beanie-Wienie.

2012-05-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Vegan Beanie Wienies on Toast

My hubby Steve sometimes does me a big favor of doing the cooking for the night, and God bless him, he knows what I like. I grew up eating cheap, yet healthy meals like beans and wieners on toast. And he corrected me on the spelling of wiener! Only a guy would know for sure.
I will be writing many posts with the heading "Comfort Foods Veganized." I will include recipes for my family favorites, passed down from my Scottish mother (who passed in 2009) and from my father, who has French, British, and Canadian blood. Steve's family is Hungarian on his father's side, and on his 95 yr. old mother's side, Czechoslovakian. I get some incredible recipes handed down to me. I convert them all to vegan, when possible. Some things you just don't fool with.
I Like to pair this dish with a Gewurztraminer. It just seems like the right thing to do. Although, a good German beer would be nice if you enjoy beer. This dish is warming and filling.

Vegan Beanie Wienie
1 28-oz. can vegetarian baked beans
1 med. onion, diced
1 med. green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
6 links Morningstar Farms Sausage links, cut into 1/2" pieces
4 links Morningstar Farms Hot Dogs, cut into 1/4" pieces
8 slices hot, buttered toast

I always set up the pot for the beans with the ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar while caramelizing the onions and precooking the peppers, onions, garlic, and links in a saute pan. I add the sauteed ingredients to the bean mixture, and heat till thoroughly warmed. Serve over hot, buttered toast. You can add a vegetable side, like sliced tomatoes, or squash, and make it feed eight, or have two slices toast per serving. It's heavier, but fills four people up so you can finish the wine before they ask for a second glass. Leftover beanie wienie can be refrigerated for four days, or frozen for 2 months. Still good.

Grilling Weather, Coppola and Oliver

2012-05-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

The sky is blue with a puff here and there of baby clouds. Like the kind you see on a screensaver. It's 89 degrees outside. I'm on the computer like a person who has no incentive to breath fresh air. Well, when I get done here, I'm going to go for a walk, once it cools down a smidge. Can't breath right in a steam room. Although it may loosen all the hairspray caked in my lungs at the end of a busy week. I tried to sing along with Sylvia McNair doing Henry Purcell songs on a ride to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and hacked up a hairball. In case you wondered, I am a hairdresser. Well, at BB&B I bought a new nonstick grill rack for the veggies to cook on tonight. It was only $10. I spent more on the portabellas and zucchini. Anyway, it is grilling weather for a large portion of the US now, so here's my take on a summer fave. I delight in smoky-flavored foods, and since I rarely eat meat, I love to grill marinated portabella mushrooms. I combine a good red wine with a bit of soy sauce, some good olive oil, a few cloves of crushed garlic, and some real maple syrup. I cut some zucchini into 1" chunks, and an onion into eighths. I pour the marinade over them all and let it rest 30 minutes. That's when I debate whether to serve this over rice or pasta or a foccacia. I don't debate whether to pop open another bottle of Coppola's Diamond Collection Pinot Noir. I don't fancy reds often, but this one is butter. So I've preheated the grill, got the coals medium-hot, and I coat the nonstick grilling pan with nonstick grilling spray, overkill maybe, just don't want any sticking. The whole thing is done in 10-15 minutes, and my basmati rice is done at about the same time. My rice technique is from Jamie Oliver, my favorite chef. He takes the rinsed rice and puts it in a pot full of water and brings it to a boil for 10 minutes. Then he dumps the rice through a colander, and before it all drains he flips the pot under to catch some of the boiling liquid. He puts the colander of rice over the pot, puts a tight lid on, (maybe needs a towel to seal it) and allows it to steam for an additional 10 minutes over the turned off burner it was boiled on. It comes up so fluffy and perfect. It would've made me question it's effectiveness if I hadn't seen him do it, and hadn't seen how the rice came out of that colander. Awesome every time. I made a little reduction with the rest of the marinade (don't do this with meat marinades) and drizzled it over the veg and rice. Yummy.

Roasting Vegetables and Warming Wines

2012-05-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, my hubby harvested some carrots from the garden, and since we had all the other ingredients, and he felt like chopping, we roasted potatoes, onions, and cauliflower with the carrots. We precook the potatoes and carrots in the microwave for 10 minutes on 100% power so they are quicker to roast. Then all gets a drizzling of olive oil and a dusting with freshly ground salt and pepper, a quick toss and into a 425 degree oven on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes. The cauliflower is awesomely sweet and caramelized. While it's all roasting, I prepare a honey-mustard dressing that is a great complement to the veg. Mix equal parts mayo, (mine is Nasoya Vegan Mayonnaise) yellow prepared mustard, and honey of your choice. Whisk till the honey is incorporated, then add a dash of cayenne or hot sauce. We use a Florida favorite, Gator Sauce by Gator Hammock, which is seasoned with garlic, onion, and black pepper, etc. yum. The rest is easy, toast some garlic bread or slice a baguette, and plate the veg with a drizzling of the sauce. This is a favorite of ours because it's one of those things that the oven can do while we're enjoying each other and our wine, which for us, is a warm red, like Montecillo's Crianza. It's from Spain, via Publix. After dinner, we sit back in front of the tube, and wish we could eat more. The little bit that we have left will be chopped more finely to combine with tofu for a tasty scramble at breakfast.A nice cappuccino and some hot, buttered toast and we've killed two meals with one bunch of carrots.

Walking and Wining

2012-04-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

We have had such gorgeous weather that in addition to my morning walk with my hubby Tevosh, (what his 95 yr. old Czechoslovakian mother calls him) I have been enjoying an evening walk when I get home from work. As a hairdresser, I am on my feet for the entire day, but blisters notwithstanding, (pun intended) I walked yesterday and today. I am in awe of nature's treats to us. Yesterday, in the clear blue sky, with just a snip of a crescent moon, there was an eagle floating on a thermal in a big circle all around it. When a crow attacked it, it made it's eagle call that, no doubt, means WTF, and that's what made me look in the first place. Well, people must have thought I was a weirdo just standing in the street looking up. But "Wow!" people just keep going not even hearing or noticing that the whole world is amazing. I've been watching "Frozen Planet" on Discovery Channel, and there are Inuit Indians (Eskimos, not the pies) who climb on 300 foot rock ledges just to get eggs to scramble for a once-a-year treat, like Thanksgiving Dinner for the rest of us . Then they go back to hunting walrus and dog-sledding. Not Iditarod, but for survival, milking reindeer, who also provide clothing (like that was on their "to do" list.) I am so glad to be in Florida, where the food is in a Publix Supermarket and I don't need a harpoon. I spent 169.80 there today, without buying meat, and I complain! I didn't have to dangle over the Arctic Ocean for any of it. There's something to be said for luxury. I say this while enjoying the Barton and Gustier Vouvray that I am pairing tonight with leftovers! The wine is a fantastic French wine, a slightly sweet white, that goes well with soy chicken-like foods, which I eat regularly, and chocolate which I must have occasionally in order to keep the world of Steve from becoming an Arctic adventure. And if it hadn't been for the perfect weather, the natural wonders of Florida, living up to it's Sunshine State nickname, and Publix (truly a pleasure) I might be so whiny, unpleasant. Yet I am all cheerfulness. Endorphins are underated. Wine too. And global warming. Hmm, skip that.

The Fear of Going Vegan

2012-04-23T12:36:00.001-07:00

Many of my friends are vegan, or 100% vegetarian, yet I still have friends (and family) who think there's something wrong with you if you don't eat animal flesh, or eggs, or milk, or animal fats like lard. They ask "Where do you get your protein?" and it makes me wonder how many cows are cannibals. Or they ask "Where do you get your calcium, and iron?" Obviously there is something wrong in our health education system when people think you have to get all your nutrition second-hand, and in tidy styrofoam and plastic packages that present the flesh with a 'nutrition' label. With the rampant atherosclerosis and heart disease that our health system is buckling under, and the unsustainable agriculture practices it requires to produce the animals, do we still believe in meat and cheese and butter? I think most of us know the truth. But it tastes too good! I believe that there is just too much memory and comfort and satisfaction associated with it's consumption to make a lot of people choose to refrain from it. How can you make a vegan rib roast, I ask you? And can you make Yorkshire Pudding without eggs and milk? I can make a helluva vegan lasagne that even meat eaters go nuts for, but I can't reproduce a Merlot Ham with tofu. And so it goes. I am just going to have to be creative and convert what I can, and fake my food orgasms when it just doesn't get me there. Because when it comes right down to it, there aren't any animals hurt in the production of my wine, and I can enjoy bbq'ed gluten and soy burgers alot better three-sheets to the wind. And my arteries can thank me later when I don't have a coronary on the 18th tee when I'm finally playing scratch golf .

Cheese substitute recipes for cheese lovers

2012-04-23T09:41:00.001-07:00

I promised to share my cheesy recipes today, and I recommend trying them to anyone who is lactose intolerant or doesn't use any animal products at all. If you love cheese but are concerned about saturated fats and cholesterol these are a good alternative. I like to make the slicing cheese in advance and freeze it. It can then be shredded or sliced when you need it. It's great in lasagna and melted in sandwiches. The cheesy sauce is delicious too, and great drizzled over pizza or nachos. I like the tang of Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice in these recipes, but fresh lemon juice is good. Nutritional yeast is available at health food stores, and is great not just for recipes, but sprinkled on buttered toast, popcorn, and pizza. It comes in powder or flake form, and you can use either in these recipes.
Agar also comes in powder and flake form, and is a seaweed extract used in place of gelatin in recipes for people who don't like horse hooves and cartilage in their food.
The texture is a little different, less slimy I think.

Slicing Cheese Substitute (makes 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup of raw cashews, rinsed well
1 cup of water
Combine the cashews and water in blender pitcher and allow to rest until cashews are soft, about 1 hour. Drain and rinse with fresh water.
2 c. water
3T. agar flakes or powder
1/4 c. roasted red pepper, any black bits peeled off
1 T. key lime or lemon juice, or 2T. if you like more tang
1-3 T. nutritional yeast, I like 3 T.
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder

Combine the water and agar in a saucepan and heat until boiling, and thicken about 3 minutes. Put all ingredients in blender with heated agar mixture and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into freezer-proof containers and cool. Keep refrigerated for one week or freeze up to three months. Slices best when chilled, and shreds best when frozen.

My Silky Cheesy Sauce (makes 3 1/2 cups)
I 12.3 oz. package Mori Nu or other silken-style tofu, extra firm
I c. raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour, drained and rinsed
1 c. water
1-2 T. key lime or lemon juice
1/4 c. roasted red pepper, black bits removed
1 1/2 t. salt, or more to taste
1/2 t. onion powder
2 T. nutrional yeast
Blend all ingredients in a blender. Pour into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and use in recipe. To use as a base for pizza, add 1 T. tomato paste, 1 t. each basil, oregano, and 1 clove minced garlic when heating.

The Big Cheeze

2012-04-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, my hubby Steve is pretty adept in the kitchen himself. He made a vegan 'chicken parmigiana" and salad that was quite delicious. Gardein makes the chicken-like patties, already breaded, and just needs to be crisped up in a skillet with a little olive oil. Galaxy Foods makes the 'cheese' which does have some casein in it, but for a real cheese texture, this is not a crime to me. Some vegans are very strict about this, and will not touch it. I am a little less strict, since I do this for health reasons more than for animal rights reasons. I love all animals, and I wish there was a cheese that met my standard for cheesiness. I do have a recipe for a 'cheese'like spread that is very tasty for anyone who cares to try it. It is slightly involved, which is my big complaint. Check my next post for this and other cheesy-type recipes.

My First Time

2012-04-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is my first official time blogging. The date: 04-20-2012. In two days I have a birthday and I am celebrating it today at work. That means cake. I will share, since my coworkers did pay for it, but I will not like to. Cake is a gift from God. It goes with everything in my wardrobe except my skinny jeans. I'm getting rid of them anyway. (Or I'm going to need Spanx.) Cake also goes with wine. I will have to wait for that. I am a hairdresser and people don't think wine goes with haircutting. I disagree, but it is a policy here to be sober while doing hair. So my real celebrating begins at about 4 pm today. It will continue through the weekend since it will be raining cats and dogs and I won't get to play golf. I will, however watch it on TV. I would bring the wine to the course anyway, since the Franzia box fits perfectly in the cart basket, and the tap is so convenient. I would have taken the cake too, because cake also goes well with golf. I need it when we sit in the shade between the 11th and 12th hole. By then my Egg McMuffin has been digested through half the course, and I'll need a fix. I could get a burger at the clubhouse, but I could lose momentum with my swing if I interrupt the match with food, afterall, shooting in the 120's isn't a score I want to mess with. I did have a 116 once, but I think I had as many mulligans as I did glasses of wine. I have this cute little abacus counter with beads and crystals, but it only goes up to ten, so there's no point to carrying it except it matches my golf bag, and my outfits, which are always pink, except on Sunday when I wear my "Tiger Red and Black." So it seems like this weekend will be a time for my hubby and I to watch golf, eat cake, drink wine, and I think I'll give him a haircut.