Overdue!

Well, this is long overdue! I have been so busy with work and life that I have had no time to write. Makes me sad. :( A few noteworthy things have happened... My son has become an overnight football professional!

OK, not overnight, and not really a professional, but in the last 4 weeks he has learned how to play on a team, how to block for his teammates, and run like the wind when he gets the ball. It is amazing to watch him grow with every outing! He loves it, too, and wakes up every morning asking if it is a football day. Love that!

Well, we have done lots of special cooking based on the aforementioned football schedule. I don't think I have ever used the crockpot so much- and we have dinner ready when we get home from the football field. Chicken tacos, pot roast, pulled pork, horseradish and Coca cola ham, etc. We have also been baking- ANZAC biscuits, chocolate chip blondies, peach cobbler, and baked doughnut nuggets- YUM! All of the baking was vegan- and turned out yummy if I do say so myself!

Another item to note is the phone call we got from Bubba's school- for next year. Yeah, it is early October and the school is already contacting us about he paperwork and how the orientation goes for kindergarten. Do they know how fragile I am? Do they know I need the next 10 1/2 months to process this? I have to wrap my head around it- my sweet prince turns 5 in 11 days and I can't believe how fast it has gone! He is turning into a little boy in front of my eyes and I can't do a thing to stop it. So, I will try to embrace it... Wish me luck!

I did the Komen Race for the Cure in Chicago at the end of September with an old dear friend and her family. It was a great time and a wonderful cause! The weather was interesting (we could almost swim in the "grassy area" at grant park- but the rain couldn't dampen our spirits) and the people watching was fantastic! We took lots of pictures, ate huge amounts of fattening foods, and laughed a ton. It was a short trip (just one night) but we tried to squeeze in as much as we could (including me in my clothes after dinner at Buca di beppos!)LOL

Well, after a long week at work, I am looking forward to more family time this weekend... More great memories to come (( sigh))

A little behind....

I have found that there are not as many hours in a day as I once thought. I sometimes feel like time flies by so quickly that I blink and I miss hours. I think that this became really apparent to me once we were blessed with kids. The kids are so much fun and have more energy than I ever remember having! They love to go and do things- pretty much anything- farmers market, community garden, grocery shopping, dentist, you name it! Today we are planning on going to the 4 H fair in our city. We have gone to the fair for several years now and my oldest, Bubba, loves to go. He enjoys seeing all of the animals- and marveling at how big they are! Ollie, on the other hand, has been scared of the animals in the past simply because they are so big! :) How unique they are, my little monkeys. I am curious to see how they do! :)

Oh- I almost forgot to share my new recipe! If you are new here, I basically bake vegan due to my son's food allergies. It is funny- I look for vegan recipes all the time (since they don't contain dairy or egg) and then I sometimes add meat for a full meal. I do not do this to offend, it is just how we handle things in our life right now. OK, so back to the recipe- lemon blueberry scones-- perfect for summer when berries are fresh and sooooo yummy! Here goes:

1 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer
2 T water
Place above ingredients in mini-food processor or whip by hand until thick and creamy.

2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Cut in 3/4 C cold vegan margarine until mix resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Add in to the crumbly mixture:
1/2 C soy or coconut milk (unsweetened, plain, vanilla, or vegan "buttermilk" all work well)
1/2-1 tsp lemon flavoring (depending on your taste)
pre-mixed egg replacer from above
Stir all ingredients just until dough holds together. If you stir too much, the scones will be tough.

Add in:
1 C fresh blueberries- fold them in gently.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. After dough is mixed together, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a circle about 3/4-1" thick. Cut into wedges (like a pizza). Place pieces about 2" apart on a greased (or silicone lined) cookie sheet. Brush the tops with water or milk just to moisten and sprinkle with turbinado/ raw sugar or cinnamon/ sugar mix if desired.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly on the pan, then finish cooling on a rack (if they last that long!). Enjoy! :)

Now that I am done with this, I think I will go have a scone! :)