“Celebrate we will, for life is short, but sweet for certain !!”
~ David Matthews Band
Good morning friends. I’d like to start by wishing my boyfriend Spencer a very happy birthday.
On one hand, we won’t have too much time to lollygag today, as we have villa guests arriving tomorrow. We are literally “in the weeds” from the 12+ inches of rain we received while we were gone. And as you can see from my sunrise photo, November is typically our rainy season, and the days have continued to bring afternoon showers, making our clean-up a bit challenging.
But no matter, we will always make time to celebrate, for yes … Life is short. We’ll still start off slow. I’m thinking I’ll cook something special for brunch – maybe some type of benedict or a quiche – while he opens his gifts. And after work, Captain Spenc and I just might head out to the movies to see that new Tom Hanks movie, Captain Phillips. We’ll celebrate with friends on Saturday night, when we can finally relax again.
What I find so surprising about morning meditation is that it often brings something totally unexpected. The waves are thundering from a cold front that moved off the East Coast. But above the din of the ocean, I thought I heard a plane. I looked up to see a commercial jetliner streaming high in the sky, leaving behind a trail of white, high above the clouds. Is this something new on Thursday’s to one of my Southern Caribbean neighbors, or have I simply been missing it all these years ?
Whenever I see a jetliner like that, my Grandmother Prehn pops into my head: She’d say “There’s my plane !!” Although she didn’t travel much, I’m guessing she loved to imagine all of the exotic places that she might be headed. I know the feeling Grandmother, as yesterday I texted “Calgon, take me away!!” as I struggled with my villa duties.
When I think of my Grandmother, whom I only got to visit for a few weeks each summer in my youth, I will always remember 3 things about her: She loved to take afternoon tea, she made amazing cinnamon rolls, and I hated her tater tot casserole. How appropriate for what I had already written last night for the food segment of my post. So here’s to you Grandmother Prehn … No doubt you are getting a cosmic giggle right now from that eternal plane, high in the sky !!
Oh, please Teese me !!!
My friends over at the Facebook group, Power to the Veg!, host monthly food swaps. I find myself sometimes feeling a bit envious of all the new products on the market which they share. And which I will likely never find here at my markets. But I do make a list of all the goodies that attract my attention, to try to hunt down to when I visit stateside.
And one of these hankerings was Teese ‘Cheese’ by Chicago Vegan Foods (also maker of Dandies Vegan Marshmallows which are amazing !!).
So at the start of our fall trip, and our quick layover in St. Louis, we planned an outing to Whole Foods to see if I could find it. I spotted the Teese right away in the refrigeration section, and picked up a “Creamy Cheddar Sauce” and “Nacho Cheese”.
I was unsure if it would travel well for my 8 hours between St. Louis and Spokane … The label didn’t offer much assurance. But I decided to risk it. It’s vacuum sealed, and the ingredients didn’t seem to be one’s which would readily spoil. My mother in law, Terry, helped me pack it with some ice packs. And I can say it traveled very well, and was perfect when I finally stopped hoarding it, 6 weeks later …
Wonderful Web Resources: Snarky Vegan
As our long days of Beet Harvest work set in, I began testing and tweaking a few dishes on my traditional Southern Thanksgiving menu. One of the one’s I’m still working with is a veganized version of Grandmother’s “Mac and Cheese” (my grandmother on Spencer’s side of the family). I had high hopes that the Teese would finally do Grandmother’s recipe justice.
But as I opened the “Cheddar “Sauce” tube, it was a firm block of goo, and I had no idea what to do with it. It looked exactly like Velveeta, from days of old !!
Off to the web I went, and the most helpful resource I found, which gave me exactly what I was looking for, was Snarky Vegan.
Making Snarky Vegan’s Teese Mac & Cheese Casserole
Although I think the proportions of cheese sauce to noodles in her recipe needs to be divided in half (ie. maybe 8 oz pasta to the sauce), the “sauce” part really did make for a delicious mac & cheese casserole. The trick is to heat the Teese in a saucepan with some non-dairy milk, add a few seasonings, and stir until until gooey. Then mix it with your pasta, and bake with breaded topping if you can wait that long.
Honestly, the Teese Sauce looks just like the base for Kraft Mac & Cheese when it’s all melted. Oh, and the taste … Deliziosa !!!!! Get Snarky Vegan’s Teese Mac & Cheese Casserole recipe here.
Inspiration photo from Pillsbury for a Chick’n & Teese Cheese Pot Pie Casserole. Yum !!
Later in my travels, I would remake Snarky’s Teese Sauce using the Nacho Cheese, and create a Chick’n & Teese Cheese Pot Pie Casserole. I mixed the Teese Cheese Sauce with some Campanelle pasta (1 cup dry), a pack of Green Giant Market Blend frozen veggies, and some cooked Gardein Crispy Chick’n (no sauce). Then baked it with a topping of Bisquick drop biscuits. OMG, was that ever good !!! Sorry I forgot to photo it, but I hope you get the drift from my inspiration photo ….
As for Snarky Vegan, unfortunately she doesn’t appear to be blogging much any more. Her last entry was December of 2012. But here’s a girl after my own heart when it comes to “junk food”.
And knowing I’d be honoring her this week, I picked another OMG type recipe off her index: BBQ Tater Tot Pizza.
And I bet you thought all I ate was lettuce and tofu … Nope! Even I eat “junk” every now and again. And I’m not afraid to admit it … !! To quote Snarky: “I may suck air, but I eat real food.” I did add a sprinkle of arugula, just to satisfy my guilty consciousness LOL …
Go ahead. Try the Tater Tot Pizza ! I doubt Snarky and I are the only one’s who think pizza and tater tots are a match made in heaven !!
Please visit TheTwistedVegan.com for my version of the recipe.
PS. And be sure to hunt down Teese if you are near a Whole Foods. Since Teese has not made it here to the VI, at least that I know of, I topped last night’s pizza with the new Go Veggie! Dairy Free Mexican Style Shreds, found locally at Plaza Extra. I’m a fan !! Might even taste better than Daiya, and it did melt very nicely …
And PSS. What a shock to go and look at the Teese nutrition label yesterday. While it feels like indulging in a guilty little secret, there’s no cholesterol, only 150 or so calories per serving, and 1/6th the fat of Velveeta !!!!
