Life is in the Details

Rainbow Cookies (aka Venetian Layer/Seven-Layer Cookies)

These are a childhood favorite of both Mike's and mine that helped us bond further in those early days of dating. Good rainbow cookies are hard to find. In my experience, you can only get them in some bakeries in NYC or South Florida (where New Yorkers have chosen to retire, of course). I cannot get them where I live. So what do I do now that my in-laws have moved from NY back to FL? I make my own.

Thank you to Rona for sending me a recipe to try. I used a bit of her recipe and a but from another recipe I found online. I used natural food coloring which is why my colors are not the usual SCREAMING florescent green, pink, and yellow and it didn't affect the flavor in any way. Next time I will not get some yolk in my whites, causing it to never come to stiff peaks - but I went with it as is because I didn't feel like throwing those eggs out and you know what? I liked it all the same. I have always preferred the denser version of these cookies and not the fluffier, cakier ones so maybe this is just how I'm going to need to do it from now on. Not sure yet, as I'm going to try it one time the way the recipe was intended first!

The discarded edges below made delicious mid-day snacks.

I froze some of these bad boys too so that I have some for later!

Jessi couldn't help taking a nibble while I was trying to prep to cut them. She's good like that. Helping me clean up the edges and all. Yeah, right.

Scooping the crumbs off...

And stuffing them in before I could say no.

Eating Vegetarian at the Orlando Theme Parks

I spent hours on the computer before our trip to Orlando checking to see which places would be vegetarian-friendly for Jessi and I and here are a peek at my notes:

Disney Reservations Center (407) 939-3463 - call to book and make dietary requests

ANIMAL KINGDOM  - LODGE

• Jambo House - Boma - dinner - buffet - lots of veg options - veg skewers,  soups
• Jambo House - ***Jiko - African -  no t-shirts or tanks; jean are okay - collared shirts/polos - dress nicer here - separate veg menu!!  (THIS WAS THE BEST MEAL THAT I HAD WHILE AWAY and will DEFINITELY go back there next time we visit the parks. Mike's filet was great too so it pleases omnivores and vegetarian's alike... and the kids loved their mac-and-cheese too!)
• Kidani Village -  Sanaa - African/Indian - lunch/dinner - veg options but also has angus burger w/greens, tomato, and raita (lunch), NY Strip & Beef Short Ribs

ANIMAL KINGDOM  - PARK

• Tusker House - lunch/dinner - http://allears.net/menu/menu_tus.htm - Buffet (Spiced Tandoori Tofu) - Great buffet that we'd also definitely go back to next time we visit Animal Kingdom, lots of yummy vegetarian issues and I enjoyed the Tandoori Tofu a lot! They have a kids part of the buffet that is not as high as the rest of it so it was really easy and fun for the kids to serve themselves (Ryan kept going back again and again, loving the independence).
• Rainforest Cafe - breakfast/lunch/dinner - veg burger, portobello burger 
  
• Counter service - Dinoland - Restaurantasaurus - Veg sub

EPCOT

We visited during the food & wine festival so there were dozens of additional food stands and we were so full that we ended up not eating at Via Napoli as planned. 

• Land Pavilion - Garden Grill menu
• Japan - Teppan Edo 
• Italy - Via Napoli - lunch/dinner
• Mexico - La Hacienda de San Angel menu - the kids had cheese empanadas for the first time and are hooked. Now they want me to make these for them for our weekly Mexican night. I'm going to need to find a good recipe for them (preferably baked, not deep-fried... I can't, in good conscience, serve them something deep-fried. It's not in my make-up).
• Morocco - Marrakesh - lunch/dinner  - roasted veg couscous, goat cheese w/crispy bread
• United Kingdom - Rose & Crown - lunch/dinner (if you have a really late dinner from here you can see Iluminations) - Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
• Counter service
• Morocco - Tangerine Cafe
• The Land - FutureWorld - Sunshine Seasons

UNIVERSAL CITYWALK

• Emerils menu -  Note: This was our worst meal while away. Easily. Mike and I had been here ~10 years ago and I had one of the best soups ever but I felt like we were trying to be killed with butter and cream here. ICK! And I wasn't the most vocal about it. I enjoyed mine the most. The kids though the mac-and-cheese was disgusting and Mike's pizza was inedible. My truffled pizza was oozing butter. Pizza? Ouzzing butter? That's just wrong.
• Bob Marley (Jamaican) menu
• Pastamore (Italian) menu
• Latin Quarter menu - veg paella, quac, black bean soup, salad, 

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

• New York Street - Mama Melrose's - lunch/dinner | kids menu
• Hollywood Blvd - Brown Derby - dinner menu - Noodle Bowl
• Echo Lake Area
• 50s Prime Time Cafe menu - Pasta w/Artichoke, Ricotta, and Summer Squash (this proved to be wrong, which was unfortunate because I was really craving this and when we got there I saw that they had spaghetti and "meatballs" in marinara sauce which I didn't want at all - this was the only place that I had an issue with the menu being out of date) 
• Hollywood & Vine - buffet with some veggie options

DOWNTOWN DISNEY

Wolfgang Puck Cafe - lunch/dinner | Kids

Portobello - Lunch | Dinner | Kids

MAGIC KINGDOM

We ended up not going to Magic Kingdom but I had done the research so I'm including my findings in case it's helpful for your trip.

• Main Street - Plaza Restaurant menu - Vegetarian sandwich
• Main Street - Tony's Town Square menu - Eggplant Stack, Pasta Primavera
• Liberty Square - Tree Tavern - lunch menu - Vegetarian Pot Pie (basil biscuit, bean ragout, sun-dried tomato pesto, seasonal veggies)
• Counter service - Tomorrowland - Cosmis Ray's Starlight Cafe

ORLANDO AREA RESTAURANTS

I didn't get to try as many as I would have liked (and I didn't get to cash in on my March Madness bracket victory of getting to pick any restaurant I wanted to go to just because of time constraints).

• Agave Azul - Note: SIMPLY AWESOME!! It was so good that when Mike had to go back to Orlando for a business trip a few days after we had gotten back he went here for dinner. And the rest of us were big time jealous!
  
• **Ethos Vegan Kitchen menu -  407-228-3898, 1235 N Orange Ave, #101, Orlando, FL, 32804, north of downtown Orlando, Mon - Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 10-3 burnch only
• ****Dandelion Communitea Cafe menu - Mon - Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-5pm 618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando FL 32803
• Mediterranean Blue menu - quick sandwich - 435 East Michigan Street - 407-422-2583
• Ceveiche Tapas Bar & Restaurant - Dinner menu LOTS of veg options- 
• The Rusty Spoon - 55 W Church Street 

Whole Foods - right off I-4 - 8003 Turkey Lake Road, Phillips Crossing, 407-355-7100

Double check the restaurant menus (these may not be the latest as I found out with 50s Prime Time Cafe):

http://allears.net/din/vegtsparks.htm

http://allears.net/din/vegantips.htm

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#epc

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

Menus change all the time so call ahead and double-check with the restaurant that you plan on visiting just to make sure.

 

Project: Magazine De-clutter

I have been saving hoarding past issues of Cooking Light that date back to March 1998. I stopped being a subscriber a couple of years ago and I don't have *all* the issues between then and now (I took a break for a year or two), but I I had close to two shelves of CL issues and with my daily decluttering project, the shelves were getting hard to overlook, especially given how much my eating habits have changed since I first started subscribing. 

 

They didn't all go straight into the recycling bin. I went through every issue and tore out things I wanted to make and put them into categories so they'd be easier to find when I need them.

I did this a little at a time over a week or two. Anywhere that I went that I knew I'd need to be sitting and waiting I brought a few magazines with me (waiting to pick the kids up in the car line, doctors appointments, the kids' after-school activities, etc.).

If I had a half-hour or hour to spare I set up and got to work.

 

I went through all the Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, & Feb issues from all of those years. Once spring nears I'll start going through the rest of them as I'll be more in the mindset of looking for recipes using asparagus, green beans, summer squash, peas, tomatoes, etc. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!!

This is Sweet Potato Spelt Bread from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. While nice on it's own for breakfast with some cream cheese, or served as a part of dinner or alongside a soup, I think it might also make a good bread to use in some herbed Thanksgiving stuffing (if only my family liked stuffing... it's fresh-baked buttery dinner rolls for my family today). 

Enjoy your day!!

fun handmade cloth napkins

I've been repurposing some cloth napkins with some fabric scraps and old clothes that the kids have grown out of. These bright colors and fabrics bring a smile to my face every time I see them.

Our favorite enchilada sauce

Rick Bayless' Tacuba-style enchilada sauce is the most recent addition to our weekly Mexican night. It's SO GOOD!! Seriously. I absolutely love it and can't get enough of it. We have had it every week since I first made it two months ago... sometimes on enchildada sometimes in our tacos, sometimes with some chips. It freezes well also, so I can make up a batch and then store them in 1 cup containers to defrost the night before our planned Mexican night. Deliciousness and convenience all combined into one.

I have this on my spinach and mushroom filling, Jessi has it on her refried bean filling, and Mike has it on his chicken filling. So versatile too! Go make this now.

Split Pea Soup, Irish Soda Bread, & Dill Butter

The Irish Soda Bread and dill butter from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day is going into my bread rotation! It's so easy to put together and with the dill butter, the sum is much greater than the parts. This bread was right at home alongside a bowl of split pea soup (as part of our weekly soup night) and salad for a light dinner.

Oh natural light, how I miss you! (The above and below darker-than-usual photos courtesy of winter approaching and the recent turning of the clocks.)

Black-and-white cookies

These were the best black-and-white cookies I've ever had. Ever. No joke.

Now there's no need to drive all the way to New York to get them.

The danger is now I can make them anytime and don't have a ~5 hour drive between me Mike and one of my his favorite cookies.

The cookie monster (aka Mike) reigns again.

And we also share. These little packages and others went off to friends.

I froze two cookies to see how they taste after a little freeze session and I'm about to defrost them for Mike and I so I plan to make more of these (with the kids this time) as one of our Thanksgiving break activities.

I also made rainbow cookies (aka Venetian Triple- or Seven-Layer Cookies) recently... forming the homemade trifecta. I can now make my three favorite cookies of my childhood myself (the other one being what I have always called lace cookies but I think are called chocolate-dipped almond florentines)!!

Even though I'm not much of a sweets person I felt like I wanted to be able to do this. (I'd much rather sink my teeth into a pizza with artichoke lemon pesto with broccoli and goat cheese or a big bowl of popcorn than a cookie. Weird, I know.)

UPDATED TO ADD: the link to the recipe.

Today:

• I'll be looking into some photography lighting equipment because we have ZERO light here at 5:30, which is when I usually am taking photos of new recipes right before I serve them for our dinner
• making a list of art supplies I would like (including some BIG canvases) as a part of my Chanukah wish list
• baking 3 loaves of our weekly whole-wheat challah
• find some ribbon to add to the canvas edges of my mandala painting (which I thought was done but after photographing it I noticed some more parts that I'd like to work on. OY! I think I may just hang it after the ribbon's on and then fix the two parts I want to change at some point in the future and call it done for now.)
• tons of yard work - All the leaves are bagged now and I finished the fall clean-up of my vegetable garden (the kale still looks awful. Well it's alive and healthy and wonderful if you're wanting kale but it just doesn't look good to others who want a more traditional garden. I'm hoping Mike will go for a new garden bed on the inside of our fence so I don't need to plant lots of the vegetable garden in the area that's "public."

Project Life 22

This is my Project Life spread for the beginning July 17, 2011. This was the week that I pulled tons of garlic from my garden and I'm sad to say that I've already used up ALL of IT!! Just yesterday I used the last clove of my summer harvest. I guess it's safe to say that I use a lot of garlic in my cooking! I think I'd need to borrow someone else's yard if I wanted to be garlic-self-sufficient year-round.

Other things I want to remember about this July week:

• Ryan making a mobile from the 2nd story in the hallway/staircase (and Jessica adding to it when she came home from sleepaway camp - we kept them up for WEEKS too! Then the string got longer and Mike and I would keep walking into them and then it was time to take them down)
• making the homemade best mint ice cream 
• packing dinners-on-the-go to be eaten at our weekly swim meets (almond butter, honey, and bananas was my favorite)
• Ryan and I hanging out a lot, playing games together
• Ry asking to make pretzels together (and all the fun shapes he rolled)
• Jessi thinking I was the best for bringing her an ice cold fruit smoothie to welcome her off the bus from camp

 

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Click here to see more of my Project Life pages.

Project Life is a versatile album kit that comes with everything you need to for a fun life-documentation project in which the whole family can get involved. For more information about using and customizing Project Life visit Becky Higgin's website. You can purchase it from Amazon.com.

Sketchbook peek

I brought this journal with me on vacation and I'm so glad that I did!! The journal is 5.5"x8" 140lb watercolor paper spiral from the Strathmore Visual Journal series and I LOVE it. It's the perfect size for travel... not too small, not to big. Just right!

I also brought along a few black Sakura Micron pens in various tip sizes (03 was the one I used the most), my 36-color watercolor paint set, and 2 Niji waterbrushes (small and medium). These waterpens are my absolute favorites to pack along and bring with my on-the-go!! You fill the chambers with water and then don't even need to dip your brush in any waer you just squeeze the pen a little to release the water to the tip of the brush and dip into your color and start painting. To clean your brush you gently squeeze the pen and wipe the brush tip a few times on a cloth/rag or napkin/paper towel until it comes clean and then you're ready for the next color.

I didn't paint everyday but if I found myself with some time while I was waiting for someone to finish up in the shower I'd grab and doodle for a little. Airports were another good place to turn a wait into some welcome creative time. I find that I don't mind waiting at all if I have something fun like this to do.

I drew and painted the right side of the page while on the plane flight home on Saturday and the flight attendent complimented me by saying he really liked my drawings and also added that I'd make a really good tattoo artist! I had to laugh a bit because if he only knew how much I really don't like needles! I get allergy shots every week and I can't bear to watch the process. Never have, never will. Ever since I was a child I knew I would never be a good nurse! A women sitting across the aisle from me struck up a conversation with me when she said she was admiring my work and then asked if I always travel with paints and how wonderful she thought it was that I brought my kit along. I told her it was a relatively new endeavor and we struck up a good conversation that I hope she feels as good about as I do. She said she always wanted to be an artist (and still does) but struggles with the same feeling that most of us have: that she's not good enough. And it's this feeling of not being good enough that stops us from even trying and coming into the great potential that is waiting for us.

Oh, how familiar I am with this I'm-not-good-enough sentiment. I haven't painted in over 2 years because I felt like I wasn't good enough (with a little does of I-don't-have-the-time - the ultimate excuse, right? Because everyone has time - it's how you choose to use it that matters!). I encouraged her to just DO IT and that eventually you will work through it and push through it and be what you want to become.

It was Van Gogh, afterall, that said:

If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint,"

then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

I couldn't agree MORE!

Keeping this in mind and intentionally surrounding myself with images and people that inspire and uplift I am at the beginning the journey to being an artist. I unsubscribed from many of the blogs I used to read that made feel not-enough and only kept the stuff that made me feel alive. I realized that the only way to become an artist is to actually create some art. Duh! But to know this and take the next step are really two different things, one more difficult than the other.

The only way I'm going to get better is to try and learn from what does and doesn't work. Not everyone is going to like my style or the way I do things and THAT'S OKAY. There's a whole lot of art out there that I don't like and wouldn't want to hang in my house. Some of it was actually IN my house - pieces that we bought to fill our home when Mike and I were younger. In my decluttering efforts over this past year I've eliminated a lot of it, even with the bare walls to prove it (which I'm TOTALLY okay with)!! At this point in my life I'd rather have BARE walls than stuff on it that I don't absolutely LOVE.

What's important going forward is that the art I create is stuff that *I* like it and that I would want to hang on the walls in my home and that something inside of me is ignited when I am in the act of working on the piece! As long as those things happen then I'm good with it.

And when things are not going well with a piece that I'm working on?

Well, then I'll just embrace the suck and push through it! LOL!