Note to self

Sick-day Noodle Soup:

Saute shallots and mushrooms in oil.

Add carrots and celery.

Cover with water. Add bay leaf, parmesan rind, "not chicken" bouillon cube.

Snap quinoa spagetti into fourths, toast in dry pan. Boil until still very chewy.

Add noodles to soup once carrots have softened.

Remove bay leaf and rind.

Top with fresh black pepper, sea salt, and chives.

Experimentation

I had the day off today and decided to experiment with a couple classic recipes.

My friend Betsy is having a holiday party this weekend I wanted to make cookies. I baked some today and am saving some to bake on Saturday. To make the usual chocolate chip cookies a little more festive I added some cocoa powder and peppermint. They taste delicious!! However, next time I am going to add more cocoa, they aren't quite as dark as I wanted them to be.

My mom eats gluten-free and I am going home for the holidays. I want to make something for my family when I go home, so tonight I am trying polenta lasagna. I chopped up some baby portobellos and combined them with roasted garlic pasta sauce and a can of tomatoes. Then I lightly roasted some zuchini in the oven. I also layered spinach in with the ricotta mix and then covered everything with lots of cheese! Hopefully the polenta's texture is a nice compliment to the usual lasagna components.

Success!

My Grandma's china ready to go the night before.

Thanksgiving was awesome. All of our food was delicious! It was the first time in our new apartment that we had all the burners on the stove full and the oven packed. Also, everything we made was vegetarian and most of it was dairy-free. We had just enough chairs and stools to seat everyone in our little place.

Stuffing (my first attempt and it was great!), mushroom gravy, a mountain of roasted garlic and chive mashed potatoes, squash soup with gruyere crostini.

Yams, cranberry-pear sauce, crackers and veggies.

Sweet onions, yams, green beans with crispy shallots, and white bean-quinoa loaf.

My plate totally loaded!