some great, some not so great

i wanted to try polenta b/c i have a heard a lot about it, but never had it.


i thought it might work for a pizza crust, but i think my mom's oven might be broken. it never cooks anything well enough. or maybe i just didn't make it right??

not sure, but this was just okay.


the following are apples cooked in wine with cinnnamon. this was absolutely delicious and i will definitely be making it again.


i placed it on top of phyllo dough and it was fabulous!

garden goodies

this is the corn from my dad's garden. i could never describe to you how delicious it is. i've been eating for almost every meal and for snacks too. i am going to be a very sad girl when summer is over.


these green beans have the best flavor. i steam them in the microwave and then sprinkle some montreal steak seasoning on them. [just a bit b/c the salt is almost too much]. then i eat them like they are potato chips.


this apple isn't actually from the garden, but i wanted to share it. it was great warmed up.

fun days with my mom

i wanted to try this dressing b/c it was only a dollar. it was okay, but i probably won't buy it again.


the salad was great though with dried cranberry, onion & cucumber [from the garden], and romaine lettuce.


i had been wanting to make bbq jackfruit since i saw a recipe online. i was intrigued that it looked exactly like pork. plus, i LOVE BBQ sauce. i eat it on practically everything.


it certainly did not disappoint me. i put it in a slow cooker for about 4 hrs the first night. then i let it sit overnight. then, i heated it for about an hour more on the slow cooker. my mom looovvved it! we ate it out on the back porch together.




then, we enjoyed some blackberry wine!!!!! we stopped at a vineyard&&winery on the way home from our visit to my aunt's last month. we decided we'd have a special day and drink the wine, eat some BBQ and have dinner on the back porch. it was absolutely lovely.

we loved the wine. and actually, stopped back there to try a white wine with pineapple undertones. i'll let you know how that one is!

dining out

there's an italian restaurant that my parents sometimes go to. they have a vegan pizza which is pretty decent. it's got artichoke, tomato, basil, onion, and mushroom on it.



also, and i find this very exciting--i went to my first specifically ALL-VEGAN restaurant the other day [karyn's on green in chicago, il]. my mom and i took the train into the city and walked there for lunch. then we walked around downtown a little and went home. i love spending these days with my mom. i love it an unbelievable amount.

i knew i wanted the buffalo chicken pita that was no question. then, when i had showed my mom the menu online she had said something about the philly cheesesteak. so, while i wanted the biscuits and gravy, i opted to get that. [our plan was to eat half and then flip]. well, the pita was to die for. but, the cheesesteak was not. the bread it was on was delicious, the insides weren't great. and the cheese was really greasy.

however, it was a delightful experience. we didn't end up getting dessert, but she already wants to go back! :)

i only got a picture of the pita b/c i couldn't eat both in one sitting. the meals were served with extremely delicious steak fries as well.


the food still looks pretty decent even after hours of trekking around in the heat and rain. [sorry the picture's not that great]


i didn't get pictures, but i also ate at a diner in dubuque, IA that had greek food. i had a pita [the BEST pita i have ever had] and a greek salad [minus the feta]. it was great! and unexpected to find something i could have. i want to go back there just for the pitas!

a post dedicated to delicious coffee cake!

i have many, many photos to upload. however, i felt that it was necessary to dedicate one post to the most delicious coffee cake i have ever tasted. well, this might be a slight exaggeration, but it was entirely enjoyable.
when it was finished baking, i poked holes in the top with a fork and poured the juice from the blueberries in and then finished it off with a drizzle of maple syrup before placing the crumbles on top.



i found this recipe sometime last semester and had put it on my list of recipes to try. of course, since i am the only vegan in my household it sucks b/c this makes so much. but when my brother comes home i am able to make it and have him eat it. so! this morning when he wanted something for breakfast i offered to make this.

a catch-up post...sooo many food picturesss

i made pita bread the other day. however, i debated whether i should freeze it or if i should make pita chips. since my mom said she would eat some pita chips [&& i am having a hard time keeping up with eating the food i make] i decided to make them into chips.
i froze three of them and used the rest for the chips.


i enjoyed them with this hummus my aunt had at her house on the 4th of july. i don't love this brand, but it wasn't bad. i've had soooo much hummus lately, it's insane!


the following apple pie was made from apples i got at an auction my dad goes to.


i made my own crust with coconut milk, rolled oats, water, flour, mayple syrup, and vanilla.


it was pretty good, but nothing to write home about. it probably would have been much better with a scoop of ice cream. it looks seriousy lacking...



preparing to grill outtttt!


a different grill-out day of summer squash, tomatoes, && fresh garden onion.

eggplant hummus. soooo good! i remember sabra being my favorite hummus, but this definitely comes in close to being better. i ate it with these rice crackers that i found at our international food store. these rice crackers are vegan. and are delicious. and they will be taking the place of tortilla chips in my life from now on.

there are only 110 calories per serving and 0 grams of fat.


they are natural and delicious which makes me a happy camper.

food. food. foooooooooood.

i found a recipe for roasted cabbage but i lost it. this cabbage is the only one that came from my dad's garden--all the others died. :( this is sad b/c i made up my own recipe and it was to die for! i used spicy brown mustard, olive oil and oregano to marinate the cabbage. then i roasted it in the oven until tender. it was soooo good!



my dad goes to an auction every week. last week, i decided to go with. i ended up spending a ton of money on fresh fruits. we ended up with a watermelon, 2 cantaloupes, golden delicious apples, and grapes. the watermelon was my favorite with the cantaloupe coming a close second.






these smoothies are from awhile back. just frozen banana with black raspberries. the little thinger on top of one is a rice cake. i lovvve rice cakes.