Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!! I hope it was a peaceful and hopeful ringing in of the new year.

We celebrated the New Year's Day as a family and extended family for our Christmas. (It seemed so much easier somewhat before my teen years and New Year's Eve parties.) Everyone cooks and brings something, we play Christmas Bingo (family tradition) that involved wrapped and inexpensive gifts that eventually are stolen from each other as the pile runs out), eat, and just spend the day together. Somehow everyone was able to make this holiday, including my two cousins that work in emergency services. The food, as always, is plentiful and filling. We took veggie pizza, a strawberry truffle, and soda. Despite my one cousin's continuing ignorance and long standing offensive vegetarian/vegan comments, there was plenty for me to fill my plate with; homemade macaroni and cheese, green beans, scalloped potatoes, fresh veggies, vegetables pizza, and dessert (one cousin made homemade mini cheesecakes with cherries on top... yummmy!). It was a filling day of family and talk of an upcoming wedding (I'm a bride's maid in it), my cousin's new pregnancy anouncement (twins!), and playing with the babies. I was stuffed (of course then I came home and heated some hot pretzel and cheese pizza bites).

From Henry Beston's 'The Outermost House' (1928): "The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth."

Life is We Know It

Last night was my family's monthly game night. We get together (those of use who can) on a Friday night to play games, eat, and generally enjoy each other's company. I try to make things that I will eat as well as others in my meat-loving family. My brother made buffalo wings and my aunt fried up some cheese sticks and onion rings, but let's face it, this girl needs more than some fried vegetables. I made a quick, easy, and yummy cold veggie pizza with some
pre-packaged croissants, dill vegetable dip, and fresh vegetables. It was a nice switch from the heavy foods that surround the holiday season and the leftovers were appreciated by a shut-in friend of the family. It also made a nice leftover lunch today. (I often get more than one meal out of things I make, especially since my brother's are so picky.)

This evening for dinner I sauteed a nice big portabella mushroom with some diced onion and garlic in butter, than let it cook down with a touch of water and some balsamic vinegar (yum). I served it beside homemade mashed potatoes topped with some shredded cheese.


Easy Cold Veggie Pizza
Pre-packaged croissant dough (makes 6-8 croissants) (or other preferred dough)
Veggie dip (pre-made or other favorite), I prefer a dill dip here
Various vegetables diced, shredded, sliced, etc. (Such as shredded carrots, diced red onion, sliced mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, diced green onion, etc.)
Shredded cheese (4-8 oz depending on preferences)
* Roll out croissant dough to make one whole crust. Bake at temp indicated in package. Then let cool.
* Spoon layer of vegetable dip onto baked and cooled crust. Sprinkle and layer vegetables and cheese. Cut. Enjoy.

In the Words of Alice Walker: "Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking, they are ignored."