Friday, March 14, 2008

When Life Gets in the Way

Am I the only one on earth who realizes that March is the month of birthdays? Every month of the year (besides March), I either know and/or hear of 0-3 people with birthdays. Not March! It's one birthday after another! I have 7 close friends and family born in this month, not to mention a surplus of other people I know of that have birthdays in March. I bet a ton of you have March birthdays, don't you? You can go ahead and admit it! ;)

Well, this brings me to why I haven't been very blog-active the past couple of weeks. I've been very busy planning and preparing for birthdays (lots of cooking, you see) as well as an Easter meal that's coming up. Oh, and not to mention... we set the recording date!!! This means we've been practicing our butts off. We actually decided against going with Sanctum Sound, as fancy as they are, because they were waaaay too expensive. We checked out a couple more places and ended up sealing the deal with New Alliance Studio in Cambridge. The producer is really cool, laid back and most importantly- his main shtick is metal! They also have a mastering studio next door (he's affiliated with New Alliance) that will lower our price for going with NA. So we're pretty pysched. You can expect some updates on that very soon. We'll be recording on April 19 & 20 as well as the 26th and 27th. That'll get a good chunk done. We'll be booking future dates to finish it up very soon.

Lastly, my work company is moving! This means that I'm going into a different department where I won't have access to the internet quite as much. Normally I update and read all of your blogs at work, so it's going to take some time to transfer all that reading and writing to evenings and weekends. But I will! I promise!

In the meantime, I made two V-Con recipes to tide you over!

First: Baked Pumpkin Ziti

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Yet another V-Con recipe that's been making the rounds! I knew this was going to come out delicious. And you know what? I actually accidentally used the recipe for tofu ricotti as opposed to the cashew ricotta it called for. Whoops! It was still excellent. It was very reminiscent of my mother's baked macaroni and cheese, so it brought back a lot of nice memories.

The only complaint I have is that the pumpkin flavour was a little weak. I know it was more for a bit of sweetness than pumpkiny-ness, but it failed on both counts. It didn't really matter, though- the bread crumb topping was simple yet delicious! I know I could have eaten them even without the ziti. Definitely a must-make!

Second: Chocolate Chip Waffles (with a dollop of vanilla yogurt)

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Three words: OH MY GOD! These were utterly amazing! I would say they were definitely more dessert than breakfast. I'd eat 'em after dinner anytime. The chocolate ooey-gooey goodness was complete heaven. Alas, I cannot take the credit. I was going to make them, but got distracted by my NEW JUICER! (More on that in a moment.) So Mike, impatient as ever, started preparing measurements. Then he ended up mixing the batter. Which, in turn, caused him to actually make the whole recipe. I didn't mind. He did an amazing job. So make these! They are like brownies in waffle form. Mmmm...

Now, for my juicer! I may have to do a whole entry dedicated to this. It is truly wondrous. I have to admit, I was a little scared when I first turned it on. The sound it makes is like a horror movie (maybe it's just my model?), but that didn't stop me from throwing in a TON of spinach. The green liquid looked like something from Dr. Dreadful. Does anyone remember that game? I was scared at first to try it but when I did... well, it wasn't bad! It tasted, um, like spinach. So the next morning I got to making a new juice from my juice and smoothie book.

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I forget the name of the drink, but I DO remember what was in it:

Fresh strawberry puree (courtesy of my food processor)
Apple Juice
Carrot Juice (homemade!)

It was very good, even better than the strawberry juice from a week ago! I am so excited to try all the different combinations- fruit and veggie alike! It's unbelievably healthy for you. In fact, I firmly believe that FRESH fruit and veggie juice is the healthiest thing you can put in your body. There are many organic supplements and herbal teas and, of course, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc... that are vital to a strong, healthy body, but fresh fruit and veggie juice is vital for... well... EVERYTHING! Not only can they prevent degenerative diseases, they can also get rid of cancer cells, viruses and harmful bacterial infections. Among many, many other things. Consider them a vacuum of all harm for your body. Or a destroyer of harm.

Get a juicer and get juicin'!

I promise I will be back with updates on the band recordings, birthday treats I've made as well as the day-to-day yummies. I am going to do my best to get myself up-to-date with your blogs. The office closes at noon today, so I'll do what I can. I really miss reading your posts! But I'll be back. Sometimes life just... gets in the way, ya know? ;)

Oh, and because I know that many of you can probably appreciate this this month: Happy Birthday!!!!!

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

"So Mike, impatient as ever, started preparing measurements. Then he ended up mixing the batter. Which, in turn, caused him to actually make the whole recipe. I didn't mind. He did an amazing job."

Awwwwwwww. Thanks.

Everything was incredible as usual. I just htink next time we need more top one the Baked Pumpkin Ziti.

I love top.

-:>D

Anonymous said...

Congrats on all these positive changes in your work/professional life--whoa, yes, busy!

That ziti looks terrific (I guess I need to leaf through my copy of the cookbook more carefully--never noticed this one). And ain't juicing great?

J said...

How cool! Do you know when you guys will be putting out an album?

Haha! I update and read blogs at work too (shh don't tell my boss - hehe).

Your picture of the Pumpkin Baked Ziti is beautiful!

Oh those waffles! I am drooling at my desk! Is it lunch time yet? Too bad I won't have one of those bad boys waiting for me!

That smoothie sounds wonderful! Ilove fresh fruit juice, I won't drink the premade stuff you buy at the store anymore. I don't use my juicer enough, it's just a pain in the ass to clean. I think I might have to pull it out anyway!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on getting hooked up with a studio! I was just talking about Dr. Dreadful with my friends the other day and we couldn't remember the name! Man I loved eating brains and worms back then ... hmm. Not very vegan I guess. I'm definitely making that ziti this weekend, it's been calling me for too long.

Vegan_Noodle said...

I know a ton of people with birthdays in May it seems. I guess in the dead heat of August here in Houston, no one has anything better to do :-)

So glad you booked your studio time!! I will anxiously be awaiting the album!!

I think most who have posted about the pumpkin ziti have thought the actual pumpkin flavor was not too strong, but definitely still yummy. Someday I will make me those waffles on a Sunday morning... someday.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Oh, and I'm at work now too... I'd fall so behind if I couldn't check blogs here!! (I already am)

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

In my house, everyone I know seems to have a birthday in April. 9 months before March/April must be a pretty busy time for a lot of people ;o).

OMG that pumpkin ziti-- I would be your newest best friend if you made it for me!!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on getting a record deal!! That's such a huge accomplishment. =)

I swear, people must be having massive amounts of sex in September or August. I checked my Facebook homepage today and I have 3 friends with birthdays today and 5 tomorrow! That never happens...

Those waffles look more like brownie batter out of a waffle iron, haha. Yum!

BitterSweet said...

It seems that birthdays increase exponentially as the days get warmer, so this is only the tip of the iceburg for me! Thankfully, there are many worse things to be terribly busy with, right?

And those waffles... Wow. I just made some chocolate dessert waffles too, and now I'm craving them all over again!

Jess said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jess said...

What a totally gorgeous picture of those waffles. (The ziti, too, but I haven't had breakfast yet, so those waffles are looking particularly delicious!)

Kang Doy's Bloggy Blog Blog Blog said...

I'm glad the ziti came out well!

Daaaaah! I can't wait to get my juicer and start making my juices look and taste like yours!

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

hey, congrats on finding a studio! laid back beats shmancy anytime! sooo... when do we get to download an mp3 of your killer music? :D

you made the brownie waffles look SO perfect, I'm in total lust with them, haha. and is juice better for you than just eating fresh fruit/veg? I admit I know almost nothing about juices, except that it doesn't require serious digestive action so it's a bit easier on the body....

Theresa said...

Brownies in waffle form... yum!

Lizzy said...

That's so great to hear, congratulations =)

And oh my, the waffle picture is killing me... All of your photos always make me want to lick the computer screen =p

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

There are definitely a lot of March birthdays - crazy!

Can't go wrong with Veganomicon ziti and waffles - the photographs of your batches are FABULOUS!!

Haha, I totally remember the Dr. Dreadful game - I even owned it! :0)

Rural Vegan said...

I have no birthdays in March, at all. How can that be?

Your waffles would make an amazing brunch addition, holy cow do they look good! (And I don't even like chocolate!)

Congrats on signing with your studio too. You're well on your way!

Wheeler's Frozen Dessert said...

Wow. Everything looks so good! I definitely need to try making some chocolate waffles this weekend. YUM :)

Sarah P said...

I've been meaning to try the ziti for a while, and you made it look so good I'll have to make it soon!

and the chocolate chip waffles are beautiful. Man do I need a waffle iron.

I'm swamped with March birthdays, too! Maybe in April we'll make some time to hang out?

Ruby Red said...

You picked some really good recipes from V-con! Well, I haven't actually tried the Pumpkin Ziti yet, but it looks amazing and I know firsthand how freakin' awesome the waffles are. It sounds like the band stuff is going really well too, so I hope you're surviving through all your business and the birthdays!!

vko said...

Hi dear- sounds like a busy busy time, but you are still cooking some delicious food. Those waffles are making me drool.

Good luck on the new studio and the work move and all the birthday prep...

Liz said...

I've got a March birthday! Those waffles look so amazing- Amazing enough to be a great reason to finally break down and buy a waffle makes...

Wheeler's Frozen Dessert said...

Hi again!
Just wanted to pass on this information ...

Boston Magazine recently published an article all about us this month - here is the link:

Oh Soy Tasty!

If you have a few minutes to spare, could do us a huge favor and read the article and comment at the bottom of the page? We're very excited about getting such great press, especially from a magazine of this caliber. If everyone drops by and leaves a quick comment, soon there will be no doubt in any publisher's mind: YES, readers absolutely do want to know about vegan happenings and developments. Please don't hesitate to repost the article on your blog and spread the world!

Thanks!
Emily @ Wheeler's Frozen Desserts

aTxVegn said...

Summer is our family's birthday season and April is a busy birthday month too. I'm actually working on Chase's cake today!

madeinalaska said...

Thanks for that birthday wish.. ahh! to funny! my birthday is march 30 my youngest son is april 1ST (his due date was my birthday) my youngest daughter is April 18th.. Tis the birthday season in our house!
good luck w/ your recordings.

Seitan Wörshipper said...

looks at you are really into making juices ;) I was in one mexican restaurant before last christmas and I ordered a big glas of "strawberry margarita" without alchohol. There were same ingredients in that drink than your strawberry juice looks included! It was damn good! I`m too lazy to making juices in home but I really love smoothies and shakes made out for fresh veggies/fruits/berries. My all time favourite juices are maybe tomato and carrot juice, but I also liked a lott about that strawberry-drink which I got in that restaurant.

Ruby Red said...

Hey! I just wanted to stop by and say hi. You must be insanely busy with the band right now - I hope you're doing okay. :)

Jess said...

I came here for the same reason as Ruby Red! It's been a LONG time! I hope all is well!

Ruby Red said...

i am glad/relieved to hear that you're alive and that the musica is keeping you busy! i'll be very happy when you come back, but in the meantime, enjoy yourself. :) and don't forget to eat lots of yummy vegan food, even if you're not blogging about it.

moi + toi PHOTOGRAPHIE said...

hello, that is some excellent looking yummy stuff!!! i could sit in a corner and eat it all!!! Wow, really..

Did you know that guiness is not vegan? made with Fish yuckyness..

but bring on the cupcakes..!