Graduation Application.

I turned in my application to graduate today!

Monday is for Coffee

Heidi, Emma, and I had lots of it at Yolk this morning!

What Journalists Do.

Apparently these chart things have been going around facebook for a few days. I didn't pay attention to them. Well, until one was relevant to me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've grown to dislike Valentine's Day. And not for all the cliche reasons. It's because for the past 4 years, I've started February 14th (or ended February 13th) throwing up.

And this one was no different.

I spent most of today curled up in bed, catching up on TV shows, sipping sprite, and napping.

Aside from always being sick, I think February 14th is a lovely day! It's a day to be intentional about remind people that they are loved. A friend got me my favorite red velvet cupcake (which my roommate enjoyed for me!), there were lots of cute notes from the girls on my floor outside my door when I eventually emerged from my room, and I got a card from my grandma!

Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe!

I promise that my blog will never be a do-it-yourself/cookbook like thing filled with recipes and crafts. Simply put, that's not who I am. At all. BUT, this recipe is dairy, soy, and gluten free so I wanted to share it with my handful of food-allergy ridden friends! *ahem Annie & Olivia & Allie*

For the casserole:

10 to 12 oz. dry penne or macaroni pasta, partially pre-cooked.

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons light olive oil

4 tablespoons sweet rice flour

2 1/2 cups plain hemp, rice or nut milk

1 rounded tablespoon sesame tahini or almond butter

2 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1-2 teaspoons golden balsamic or rice vinegar, or lemon juice, to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

A dash or two of Simply Organic Garlic Powder

A dash or two of Simply Organic Minced Onion

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons white wine- Frey Organic wine is vegan and egg-free

Optional: 1/2 teaspoon turmeric for yellow, or paprika for orange color

For the topping:

1 cup Crunchy Gluten-Free "Bread" Crumbs

10-12 grape tomatoes, halved

A sprinkle of dried basil and parsley

Directions:

To pre-cook the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and pre-cook the penne just until it is slightly tender but firm to the bite. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse it quickly under cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and stir in the sweet rice flour (I like to use a whisk to do this). Cook and stir the flour for about 10 seconds, then slowly add in the hemp milk, whisking to blend the flour paste (called a roux) and hemp milk.

Bring the mixture to a bubble (it will thicken as it heats) then reduce the heat to low.

Add the toasted sesame tahini, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, golden balsamic vinegar, sea salt, a dash or two of Simply Organic Garlic Powder and Simply Organic Minced Onion, nutmeg and white wine. Add turmeric or paprika for color, if desired. Mix well with a whisk.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the cooked penne into a 6-cup baking dish. Pour the cheesy un-cheese sauce over the penne and gently combine. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the gluten-free bread crumbs and halved grape tomatoes. Sprinkle with dried basil. (For the sensory sensitive, omit the tomatoes, crumbs and basil.)

For individual gratin dishes, combine the pasta with the cheese sauce first; then spoon it into the gratin dishes. Top with crumbs and tomatoes and sprinkle with dried basil.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, until heated through and bubbling.

Serves 4.

Groundhog Day

Why do we allow a rodent to have a say in whether winter stays or goes? Some American traditions are strange.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning so apparently the world will be experiencing six more weeks of winter. If Phil’s forecasting is correct, maybe the abnormal weather patterns happening in much of the US right now will become more...normal. Who knows? I'm personally ready for spring.

And, for the record, this groundhog has been making decisions since before women in the US could vote!