Cupcakes, Anyone?

Since most of my coworkers are Chicago Bears fans, I thought it would be funny to make delicious cupcakes and decorate them green and gold.  I added a few drops of yellow to the cupcake batter, which didn't really make a difference.. so I also used yellow cupcake liners.  I colored the frosting green and added green sugar sprinkles.  I followed this recipe from PPK, and they're sooo good!  I baked the cupcakes Wednesday afternoon, thinking we would surely have school on Thursday.  Anyway... school was canceled again on Thursday and when I left home this morning, there were four cupcakes left.  Guess the only thing I have left to share is the picture :)

Football Food

The Packers and Bears are just about to take the field for the NFC Championship game.  Chad and I are staying home to watch the game and snacking on game day food.  Here's one of our favorites that's super easy to make:

Better Than Taco Dip

1 15 oz can refried beans

1 ripe avocado, mashed

13 oz silken tofu

1 c cooked vegan chorizo

1tbsp southwest or taco seasoning

dash of chipotle or chili seasoning

1 c shredded lettuce

handful grape tomatoes, quartered

handful black olives, sliced
tortilla chips

1.  Mix tofu in a small bowl or blend in blender until smooth.  Mix in seasoning.  Set aside.

2.  Spread beans to evenly cover the bottom of a pie dish.

3.  Cover beans evenly with avocado.

4.  Cover avocado with tofu mixture.

5.  Sprinkle chorizo over the tofu.

6.  Sprinkle lettuce, tomatoes and black olives to cover dip.

7.  Refrigerate until ready to serve!

8.  Serve with tortilla chips and cold beer!

(Variation:  Omit chorizo and seasoning.  Add 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes to blended tofu.  Prepare as normal.)

GO Pack GO!

Family Time

Chad and I both have a three-day weekend, so we made a trip to Fondy.  It turned into a busy weekend, full of visiting!  

ready for the game!

On Saturday, I met Keesha for coffee at the Blue Goose, along with mom, Shanna and Aunt Janet.  Then Kelly and the kids also came home in the afternoon.  For a quick lunch, I made falafel using a mix from Fantastic World Foods.  I was surprised by how tasty they were, being they were so easy to make.  Mom, Kelly and even Henry loved the "balls."  They definitely weren't Holy Land Diner-quality, but I'll keep them in mind for something quick and easy.  Finally, in the evening we saw most of the Will's at a Packer party hosted by the Walters.  The first half was really exciting and action-packed, but I think I spent more of the second half talking than watching the game!  It's so nice that we've been seeing them so often lately.  Dad would be happy!


We planned to leave in the early afternoon on Sunday, but instead had another full day.  We started out with church, then mom and I went to the Outlets, where I made a few (un)needed purchases!  When we got back to mom's house, Chuck, Janet and Aaron stopped for a visit.  I haven't seen Aaron since my wedding, so it was nice to catch up with the Halfmans!  By the time we finally packed the car and left, it was after 5:00!

I almost forgot... my mom gave me a pair of mittens this weekend.  They're a very special gift, because they were no doubt knit with love and they have lots of special memories attached to them.  She had been working on them over the last two months while she and dad were waiting for doctor's appointments, in between testing and scans at the hospital and lazy nights at home.  This weekend, she finally finished the last thumb! 

My goal today is to be super-productive and finally get our house back in order!  Maybe breakfast will even be from Veganomicon to start out the challenge for week 2... wish me luck :)