...1.24...Dinner and a Movie...

...it was high time we had brinner again...haha...

...I usually only have half a waffle by the time we sit down to eat...because I'm always munching on it as I'm cooking...haha...

...and instead of a movie we just watched an episode of Home Town on HGTV...Erin and Ben are such a sweet couple and it's fun to watch their home makeovers down in Mississippi...

...what have you been watching lately?...

~Have a lovely weekend!

...1.23...Friday Update...

...still not a lot of activity to report...I feel like I'm still moving in slow motion and I'm really tired still...today marks 31 days since I've ridden my bike...I went for a ride the day before we left for Alaska...and the poor bicycle has been sitting unused in the garage since then...crazy...and we're supposed to have an ice storm tomorrow...but that's ok...I still don't really feel like it...

...I have been 'practicing' with my Ulu Alaskan knife...and I've watched a couple of videos on how to use it...it works great for chopping veg...

...I took EVERYTHING out of the freezer and made a spreadsheet...because I'm the worst at remembering what's in there and using it up...

...I folded down the tops of some grocery totes (I have plenty...haha)...and used them to 'contain' everything on the big shelves...

...and then I used some smaller totes and did the same with the door shelves...and a cake box fit perfectly into the skinny top one...I'm super happy with the new 'neatness' and hopefully we'll succeed in using everything that's in there...

...and then we made a quick grocery run to get a few things before the impending ice storm...mostly stuff that we can quickly heat up on the campstove...or eat cold...I'll be making a double batch of Toby's dip with the tofu...and I remember eathing that Chunky Savory Vegetable soup when we were at university in the dorms...I don't think we've had it since...haha...

...and the Man said he'd love some peanut butter cookies...

...so I made a big batch of those...

...they were delicious...

~Wishing you a lovely start to your weekend...

...1.22...Delicious Vegan Food we ate...

...I did a little bit of pantry clearing...and I found this box of french onion soup mix (out of date by about a year)...so I made a batch of my super simple tofu sour cream...

3/4 block of firm tofu
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp. lactic acid
1/4 tsp. nutritional yeast...and I just blend it in the Vitamix until completely smooth and creamy...

...and just stirred in a packet of the soup and dip mix...

...also on the counter are some rather crispy vegan marshmallows that I'll be using using up by making vegan smores...and a jar of dried apricots...

...I remember Mom serving this when I was little...so I asked her about it when we were chatting on the phone...and she said that she really only made it a couple of times...like for a Tupperware party...or to take up to Nanny's at Christmas...she had a pretty gold edged two tiered chip and dip bowl that she served it in...it was funny that I remembered it so fondly when it really only happened a couple of times...

...so I popped on one of my Daiso Japanese smiley face silicone covers and put it into the fridge...

...it turned out perfectly and we really enjoyed it as a snack...there's another packet of the mix in the box so I'll definitely be making it again...

...and then a fail...or something 'not' delicious...

...I added some of the kiwis that we'd gotten at Sissie's house in October...we still have a bunch in the fridge and we just set them out on the counter to ripen...and it was really oddly bitter...so I thought what's up with that...and of course turned to the interwebs for an answer...haha...

...and this is what I found out:

"Kiwi isn't great in yogurt because its natural enzyme, actinidain, breaks down milk proteins, causing yogurt to become bitter, watery, or curdled, and it also prevents gelatin from setting in dairy-based desserts. This enzyme is powerful and can make dairy dishes texturally unpleasant, but it's also why kiwi is used as a meat tenderizer"...who knew?...

...so I googled a little further...you know since my yogurt isn't dairy...and found..."Actinidin, the protein-digesting enzyme in kiwifruit, significantly breaks down soy protein and enhances its gastric digestion, helping to improve overall protein digestion and gut comfort, especially with hard-to-digest plant proteins. Studies show it helps digest soy, along with gluten, beef, and dairy proteins, making them more available for absorption and potentially reducing feelings of heaviness after protein-rich meals"...again...who knew?...

...so if you want to eat really bitter gritty vegan yogurt...it's apparently easier to digest with kiwi in it...hahahaha...I won't be adding kiwi to my yogurt again...

...what delicious food have you been eating lately?...

~Have a lovely day!

...1.21...W.I.P. Wednesday...

...I've made quite a bit of progress on Our Airman's Wife's birthday present...the first floor is done...

...and I've been trying to do at least 10 rows per day...so I'm done with most of the colourwork...the second floor is done...all that's left is sky and letters now...so I'm feeling pretty confident that I'll be able to get it into the mail either Saturday or Monday...in a priority mailing box it should get to Alaska in time...

...what's in your workbasket this week?...

~Have a lovely day!

...1.19...Over the Weekend...

...I made banana bread for breakfast...

...the same one I always make...from the Vegan Omicon...with walnuts this time...

...the heel...still warm...slathered in vegan butter is the BEST!...

...we got started taking down the Christmas decorations by taking down the lights on the front porch...they've not been 'lit' since we got back from Alaska...they've just been sort of sadly hanging out there...

...then the upstairs porch...or piazza here in the South...

...and I stretched the lights out down the hallway to roll them back up in their covering to keep them tangle free for 'this' Christmas...

...then we took the ladder downstairs and started to the tree in the big room...this is the latest we have ever un-decorated...

...and got everything into totes and ready to go back into the attic...it's a two person job...I'm in the attic and the Man hands me the totes to put away...

...then we did the grocery shopping...I don't think there was anything unusual...but I didn't take a photo for some reason...I just put everything away without a photo...I know we got everything to make Chow Mein again though...

...and I got a new flavor of Popz...I thought I would really like it but it's not my favorite...

...I picked a bunch of really dirty Napa Cabbage from the winter garden...

...and I mean really dirty...

...and something's been eating my cabbage...it was really warm here while we were in Alaska at -50°...so maybe some bugs hatched out and munched on my cabbage...

...it didn't matter because I cooked in on the Griddler and it was really good...

...when I went up into the attic...some of the insulation on the stair door thingy had come loose...so I wanted to staple it down before I closed up the attic door...and then I spent about 30 minutes out in the garage looking for the stapler and staples...so after I'd completed my little 2 minute job...I made a home for it...it fit perfectly in this little box...and now the stapler and the staples will be together...

...so then...of course...I drew a picture of it on the box...and put it on the middle shelf of the Man's workbench...and hopefully that will be where it is when I need it again...haha...

~Wishing you a lovely start to your week!

...1.17...Dinner and a Movie...

...in the afternoon...I made some guacamole for a snack...

...and then for dinner we got the last of the vegetable soup out of the freezer and made fried cornbread and grilled cheese to go with that...

...and the movie was an anime...Tokyo Godfathers...considered a "Christmas Movie"...as it starts on Christmas Eve...it's a really convoluted story about some people...basically three really different homeless people find an abandoned baby in the trash...and they care for it and try to find it's parents...it's a really good story...subtitled...of course...

...what have you been watching lately?...

~Have a lovely weekend!...

...1.16...Friday Update...

...still not a lot going on chez Affectioknit...we're much better though...so I thought I'd just show you a couple of random things...I got a new Iphone before we went to Alaska...

...it's a first for me...I mean...I've had Iphones before...just not a new one...

...it's a pretty bright red one...

...and because I drop my phone at least once per day...I got a little protective case for her as well...

...all safe and sound...

...and I found a few photos from before Christmas...there may be more...haha...remember we opened all our presents sort of piecemeal before Christmas/Alaska...and I don't think I showed you these lids...

...I store a lot of leftovers in wide mouth pint jars...and I don't have enough lids for them...the metal rings get rusty and thrown away and I wind up without enough lids...

...they have a silicone seal so they don't leak...and a neat little tool so you can remove it to wash them...

...and then one little thing I did 'around the house'...I added a little 3M hook inside the cabinet to hold (and keep track of...) my little mini-measuring spoons...as I'm always losing them for some reason...these are the hooks that we used to put the Christmas lights up on the porches...and that's on the agenda for this weekend as we're finally feeling well enough to take the decorations down...

~Have a lovely day!

...1.15...Delicious Vegan Food we ate...

...we are still getting better...and thankfully our 'taste' has not been affected by Covid...well not any more than your taste is affected by not being able to breathe through your nose...haha...and I would have said that we didn't eat any "delicious" food this week...

...but that really wouldn't be true...one night we had Pita Pizzas...just a whole pita bread each with some pizza sauce and vegan cheese...mine had a few black olives too...it was salty and good...easy to make and easy to clean up...

...and we also had vegan smores...I had found a bag of vegan marshmallows that REALLY needed to be used up...they wre a bit crusty...but microwaved on top of a graham cracker with a few chocolate chips and it puffed up and revived quite nicely...

...I finally felt well enough to go out to the winter garden and pick a bowlful of lettuce...

...and we had our first proper sit at the table meal since we've been sick...baked tofu 'steak' a delicious baked potato and a salad...

...and then I also felt well enough...just yesterday...to make a batch of Vegan Toby's Tofu dip...you knew I was having withdrawal symptoms while I was in Alaska without it right?...haha...

...what delicious food have you been eating lately?...

~Have a lovely day!