Savory Veggie Bread Pudding

I have a cookbook addiction; I'll readily admit it.  I own some cookbooks I've yet to even use (and I have an entire Amazon wishlist devoted to cookbooks).  My mom makes fun of me when she comes over and sees all of them lining my shelves.  "Why do you need so many?" she asks.  The answer?  I like options.  And variety.  Each cookbook has a specific voice and point of view, based on the taste preferences of the author(s).  That inspires my cooking.  There are some amazing cooks out there, professional and not, and I'd like to learn from all of them.  So I buy their cookbooks (because I can't afford to hire them to teach me, at least not now).

OK, enough of me rhapsodizing about cookbooks... How about some actual cooking?  One of the recipes I made recently was Savory Vegetable Bread Pudding from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook.  Spinach, mushrooms, dijon mustard and bread?  Sounds like something I need to try!  You basically saute the veggies and put them over the bread (like so - that's the sauce in the blender)...

Then you pour the sauce over the bread and veggies, and bake.  I left off the mozzarella slices, and it was fine.  Nothing burnt.

My one possibly negative comment (and this is really more of a preference than something negative) is next time I would probably just cook the veggies and sauce in the casserole dish, and then serve that over toasted bread (think frittata on toast).  It was too much soft food for me, but then again that's what bread pudding is.  And it was still delicious!

Pancakes and a homemade card

 I woke up this morning feeling like cooking (which is usually how I wake up on Sundays, now that I think about it).  After browsing through a few of my cookbooks, I settled on Coconut Pancakes with Pineapple Sauce from Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock.  Delicious!  I'm not a fan of traditional pancakes slathered with maple syrup, at least not for breakfast.  I just don't like that much sugar to start my morning.  These were perfect, though; the tart pineapple cut some of the sweetness and the batter was just right.  The only thing that could make it better would be eating it on a beach somewhere tropical and warm.  :)

I've been meaning to post this, but just keep forgetting.  I made a Thank You card for the lady who watched my pets while I was gone over Thanksgiving.  Pretty simple layout.  I just a patterned piece of paper 1" smaller all around than the card (so for my 4x6 card, I cut the patterned paper to 3x5).  The strip is 1" thick and also paper, but you could use ribbon instead.  I combined 2 stamps (thank goodness for clear stamps!) - the cat was from a 4-pack by Studio G, and the Thank You was an Archiver's Snag 'em Stamp Duos (appropriately named the Thank You Combo).  I traced the You with glitter pen and used foam adhesive squares to pop up the stamped part.

Hello 2011!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  My Christmas was amazing - I got to spend time with family and friends, plus I got a few new toys to enjoy in the coming year.  My kitchen adventures can now include an immersion blender and a waffle iron, and I can get some more reading done (hopefully) with my new Kindle.  I consciously took some time to relax and enjoy the holidays, so I'm starting the new year feeling revitalized and excited for what's ahead.  There are definitely going to be some changes in my life this next year (I'm not talking the resolution-type).  Starting in May, I'm going to begin a 2-year house-sitting job (well, between 18 and 24 months) - meaning I might actually get to feel settled in one place for a while.  These last 2 years things with my job have been very up in the air, and I've never known how much longer I might be there so I've sort of always remained packed and ready to pick up and move again.  And I have to say, I don't know how military and other more mobile people do it!  It's very mentally taxing to never be sure whether you're staying or going, at least for me.

Speaking of my job, it ended last month.  It's just no longer going to be funded, but that's alright.  I loved my job, but it wasn't what I wanted to settle permanently into (which is a good thing, since it never was permanent).  I had hoped it would continue a little longer, so I had more time to get some other pieces into place, but oh well.  That's how things go sometimes.  My main goal this year is to get on track for a masters degree, so I'm going to do some temping to pay the bills while keeping my eyes open for opportunities more related to my career track.  And I'm going to do some volunteering to hopefully get my foot in the door, as well as build some more contacts for the grad school application process.

As for my free time, I wouldn't say I have resolutions or goals so much as aspirations - a list of things I'd like to see/try/do in the coming year:
- Canning: Last year I canned jam and applesauce.  This year I'd like to try salsa, pasta sauce, and pizza sauce.  And I'd like to make enough that I can share with friends and family.
- Gardening: I'd really like to join a CSA, but since I'm currently unemployed I can't justify spending such a large chunk of money.  If I can start working in the next week or two, then I might change my mind.  Regardless, I'd still like to work on improving my container gardening skills (because believe me, there's a lot of room for improvement!).  I'm thinking of making my own self-watering containers and trying to keep it simple - tomatoes, peppers, green onions, and some herbs.  Maybe some salad greens as well if I feel ambitious.
- Composting: House-sitting means I'll have a yard in which to start a compost bin!
- Baking: Simply put, I want to experiment with bread baking - especially making rohlicky (Czech crescent rolls) and baguettes.
- Knitting: I'm comfortable knitting and purling.  In a straight line.  I've yet to try anything more complicated than a seed stitch, and I haven't knitted in the round.  So this year I'd like to get more adventurous with my knitting.
- Scrapbooking: Make time to scrapbook.  Period.  I'm ashamed to say, I haven't scrapbooked since April!
- Social: I love doing stuff with friends, but my current space is too small to have more than one person over at a time, and I feel bad about my friends always having to host.  Since I'm watching my money, I don't want to always go out to dinner or a movie.  Once I'm moved into the house, I'd like to start up regular potlucks/game nights/social events where we all take turns hosting (and don't worry, the homeowners already know about this and are fine with it).

I can't wait to see what 2011 brings!