Free Stuff!

I want to be able to do free Give Aways on this blog. So, if you read it, please follow it publicly via google (see link to the right), comment here, etc. Once i reach 30 followers I will do free Give Aways, and then if it grows to 50, 75, 100, i will do them more and more often. Also, tell me what kinds of things you want to see on this blog! I want to be motivated, creative, and positive in 2011!

This post is top-dated, so look below for new posts!

Little Joy

I just cannot get enough of this band.
I:
A) (Unexpectedly) Miss Los Angeles
B) Wish I could have made it to Austin for SXSW and a million other reasons

"Honey" Mustard Tofu with Kale and Yams = Yum

I've been slacking on cooking properly, especially in terms of making new things, and documenting them for your viewing and possibly also cooking pleasure.



My new friend and former neighbor David (<--- click that, he is quite the renowned artist) helped me to finally attempt this delicious recipe for Honey Mustard Tofu with Kale and Butternut Squash I've been meaning to try after spying it on Made Just Right, which is Earth Balance's blog of deliciousness. Earth Balance - you know, they're the ones who make the best vegan butter, and have recently started making other things too, like soymilk and peanut butter (it's the healthy kind but it tastes like JIF, sweet.)

Instead of butternut squash, we used sweet potatoes/yams. I substituted the honey with dark raw agave nectar, which worked nicely. Instead of 1/2 a TBSP of chili powder, I used 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. We used extra garlic. And be careful if you follow that recipe, it doesn't list vegetable stock as an ingredient until it mentions it in the directions.

I served it over quinoa, made simply with just a dash of Cajun seasoning, and later dressed a little bit with Braggs Aminos. Voila!



For dessert, we melted some chocolate chips and dipped these incredibly fresh, sweet strawberries in them. It was a success:




All photos courtesy of David Newman.

Lisa Hannigan

I cannot stop listening to Ocean and a Rock, Lisa Hannigan's sweetly woven quilt of intricate lyrics and layered instruments. I would love to be able to cover this.


(Click here for lyrics)

Many of you have heard of Damien Rice, and if so, may remember that Lisa used to sing with him. She went solo a while ago and produced such mild yet moving music. She is a sweet addiction.

I recommend listening to the studio version of Ocean and a Rock as well:



More gems from Lisa's album Sea Sew:



Sea Song, Pistachio, Lille.

Thomas Fersen: The Tom Waits of France

I recently discovered Thomas Fersen, a Parisian who began in a punk band, continued as a 'café-theatres' piano player, and ended up a multi-genre artist drawing from Jazz, Folk, Blues, and so on. His smoker's voice immediately made me think of Tom Waits, though his music certainly has its own originality to it. He is a great poet and story teller, and in turn a great singer-songwriter. Give him a listen, below:

Fort Funston

I rode on the back of a Harley and I liked it.

Vegan Chocolate Peach Cobbler

In addition to veganizing, there seems to be a theme here of chocolatizing everything.


*This photo was made with a free polaroid maker, let me know if you want the download information*

Vegan Chocolate Peach Cobbler
I Adapted/modified this from a couple different cobbler recipes

Ingredients:

- 4 TBS Vegan Butter (i.e. Earth Balance)
- 6-8 sliced Peaches
- 1/2 Cup Flour
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Cup plain rice/almond/soy/etc milk
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt the butter in a baking dish. Mix in the peaches until coated.
Sift dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl, and mix with wet ingredients. Pour onto peaches and mix. Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with sugar, and allow to cool. Serves 4-6.