Winter Break

This has been a busy, and somewhat stressful winter break but nice cause I've been able to spend almost every moment of it together with my husband. Have a few days left and then it'll be the end of my husband's winter break and also the end of 2010. Can hardly believe the year went by so quickly but it did. Thirty years old here I come! Almost one week away and lots of house cleaning, organizing, and decorating to do. Which reminds me. I need to set up an online photo account tonight and attempt to get some photos up on it before I fall asleep tonight. Giving my decorator a week to do everything isn't really fair of me but I also understand my venue isn't the only thing they have right now. Well, off to do more work..

Christmas

My Christmas was nice this year. The eve of spent it together with my family at my mom's house. My grandma wasn't able to go out of town so she stayed here, like with Thanksgiving and we were able to spend the holiday together. My brother and his fiancee was there, my husband and I. We all exchanged gifts that night and then the next morning, the day of Christmas, my husband and I exchanged our gifts to each other. Then we went to his mother's house where we ate breakfast with his mom, two brothers, we opened gifts and visited. Then to top the day off we had family from both sides come to our house and we all ate dinner together. It was a wonderful end to a great holiday, for the most part. Just a few things here and there that I wish could have been avoided, but it wouldn't be family I guess if something didn't end up happening. Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and here is to hoping that 2011 is a great year!

Unawareness

Here are some texts that I sent earlier.

Hours away now & wish my stomach wasn't growling. Hope today's lumbar sacral injection helps! Very tired & can't wait to get back home & rest. Maybe sleep... 9hours ago

Still waiting to get injection. My dr didn't send info to the office so they have to read his notes before giving me the injection. 6hours ago

Hopefully not much longer now. My dr is looking at my ct myelogram results and then will call the Dr I'm seeing today with reccommendation for injection. 6hours ago

I'll have this be the last text till after the injection and then I'll say how it went. I just want to feel better and avoid a third back surgery! 6hours ago

This is the moast amazing trippy feeling, I got sadation and ddin't feel a thing. Almost fell down agfter getting up. Having pronlems seeing and ina whelechair. 5hours ago

More awareness now, in the car ready to go, hubby is driving me home, back hurts but otherwise I didn't feel a thing. Just hope that the injection helps. 4hours ago

Feel sick to my stomach! Finally get to eat, taco bell burrito had a huge cheese glob in it. Ate some cheese but then shopped. Yuck! Supposed to all be fresco. 2hours ago

In pain, relaxing, need more ice. Hope that this injection helps. Won't really be able to tell until 24 - 48 hours from now. 12minutes ago

The Nerves Are Setting In..

The nerves are setting in, in less than 10 hours I will be getting my third lumbar spinal injection in my sacral lumbar. The needle will have to travel up the tail bone and then will inject the numbing medicine then the medicine itself around my lumbar spine and hopefully reducing the inflammation enough to relieve the area around the nerves to help bring back feeling to my leg and helping with the constant back pain that I've been having.

Actually now that I think about it saying the nerves are setting it doesn't even touch it. I've been stressing out all week long getting everything done before the injection and now the final day is here! No eating or drinking ANYTHING until after the injection is finished. Just in case I were to get sick or have a bad reaction to the nice numbing relaxing medicine they will be giving me through an IV to help me while I get this injection.

The first injection was HORRIBLE! Worse than my CT Myelogram and those are NOT a walk in the park! After the first injection I had difficulty walking, sitting, standing, laying, about anything you could think of and continued to have numbness, 100% sudden numbness in my legs along with lots of pain! I didn't begin to feel better till after about a week and a half passed, then finally after about two weeks I began to finally feel like myself again. Feeling like myself meaning that I had constant pain but wasn't in horrible pain all the time, just most of the time.

The second injection wasn't as bad. The doctor gave me more local medicine and the only time I really felt it was when the medicine went into the right side of my lumbar spine. The first injection it was between my L2 and L3 lumbar vertebrae. The second injection was between the last lumbar vertebrae and my sacrum. First above my spinal lumbar back fusion, second below the fusion. The second injection had me resting for the 24 hours afterward and I was still and had a little pain. But after the rest I was able to be up on my feet with some soreness but able to cook, clean and do some shopping days after.

This third injection I'm bringing a driver so I can get the good stuff to knock me out so I don't feel the experience so much, I'm sure hoping that the medicine they'll give me in the IV helps enough and that I'm not in horrible amount of pain afterward. If I am in pain after this injection it'll make for a very interesting Christmas. Oh yes I'll be happy to be with family but there will be a big part of me that will just wish to be away from all the world and by myself. I just hope that since the first injection made my pain worse as well as the symptoms worse, and the second injection didn't make a difference at all, that the third injection will not only help but I'll feel so much better. Who knows and here is to hoping.

The first injection I ever had ever was back in January 2003, right around my birthday if I recall correctly. I wasn't allowed to have any IV to relax me and the doctor used the xray machine to guide the needle up my tail bone to the lumbar sacral area to do the injection. Working his way up bit by bit with numbing medicine that didn't numb me and then finally the medicine. It was the first horrible pain that I ever had experienced in my life and I was only 22 at the time. Now almost 30 years old, almost eight years later here I am having to continue to get these injections in my spine to help with the pain. I shouldn't have to go through this this young!

All it took was falling UP a concrete stairwell and getting an instant disc herniation in my back to start the domino effect of a lifetime! I also injured my left knee at the time and my back and knee have never been the same! It was just a few weeks after my husband and my wedding and "through sickness and health" was already being put to the test as my husband had to help support me and take care of me right away!

After my first surgery which I thought was a success but turns out I healed to quickly, I lost my job! The place of employment says that I, quote, "quit!" but I did not! I was put on call and never called back! I was a liability all because I was healing from a back surgery and had injured myself at my place of work. Big sigh!

Years later the workers comp case was solved after I had to go through my second back surgery. This back surgery left me to be disabled after a multi level back fusion. I haven't been able to get back to work since then. This year it will of been 5 years since last working and 4 technical years since I've been employed. 4 years due that I was on long term disability and that status changed after I was 100% unable to return to work.

Now years later after that I continue to have problems, now worse than ever! I have stenosis above and below my back fusion, more bulging discs and I'm sure as well degenerating discs. My back fusion surgery caused me to have lots of nerve damage that has resulted to be 100% permanent! I don't see my feeling returning any time soon and if anything the numbness has only gotten worse over these years, not better. The nerve damage resulted in my right foot being a drop foot, which means I can't lift it or move it and have to wear a medical brace in order to walk. The use of my cane also helps when I'm out walking. I have had problems now since last February with foot soars that have been turning into blisters and ulcers. The foot problems are all thanks to the ped egg that I will never recommend or use ever again! Was gentle but it didn't matter, skin got all dry, flaked, I remove the dead skin, the area rubbed to much, developed a blister, became infected, spread like wildfire and then took over half a year to heal! Now continue to have problems with my foot and have been having to stay off of it and not do as much on my feet.

Staying off my feet has prevented me from being able to do all my work outs and it's frustrating as I have 25 pounds left to drop to reach my weight loss goal. I've lost well over 130 pounds since I was my heaviest, about three and a half years ago now. Had to imagine that back then I was well over 300 pounds, very unhappy, very depressed, very overweight and unhealthy and into size 26/28 jean sizes. Now into 8, 10's and 12's I'm a whole different person.

Every time I have to visit the doctor now it's a sad reminder that I will never have an easy life and that I am reminded to cherish everything else I have left. I have the function of my left leg for the most part all the time, except for the few times that I have had complete numbness from my left leg; that has only happened a handful of times over these past few months. I have the function of the upper part of my back, my legs when they cooperate, my arms, my hands, my fingers to be able to type and write, my neck, my head, my mouth, eyes, ears.. to be able to wiggle my left toes. I'm thankful to be able to do all of that. I am still able to get up and walk, though it may not be easy I'm still able to do it!

Hopefully my story can help others be thankful for what they have and remind them as what I go through reminds me.. just cause you think you have a hard life, there is always someone else that has it harder off than you do. Be thankful for what you have while you have it.

Most importantly, I'm thankful to have the ability to still speak, have a sound mind and to be able to still enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Hopefully someday soon I'll be a mother and be able to teach my child all these important lessons about life and how we should be thankful. <3

Finished the Holiday Shopping

I have finally finished my holiday shopping. I have purchased all the gifts for family and now it's just up to finishing my gift wrapping. Hope that everyone likes their gifts and the only thing I wish is that I could have gotten them more. Always have needed to go on a budget for gifts but this year was the first where we couldn't buy as much for gifts no matter what. Thankful for our house but wish I could have spent more on gifts.

Many Thoughts

Many thoughts running through my mind right now. Trying to let my stomach settle. Going to write out cards and hopefully get to the post office to send them off in time for Christmas. Going to try to finish my shopping today. Just want to be able to give all my family nice gifts this year but don't have the money to spend. I plan on enter in Ellen's 12 Days of Watch and WINter Contest every day, hopefully I can win some nice gifts for my family, my husband and I.

My Busy Week and it's only Monday

A few days away from my third back injection and so much that needs to get done. Foot already bothering me but I'll have to tough it out. I think I'll work on the basement first. Then organize the gifts, then work on the kitchen, then head out. Maybe I'll stop by the bank tomorrow and then get home, write out the bills, balance the check book, make my phone calls, and clean up the house. Have to do everything I can before the injection in case I feel horrible afterward and am not able to do a thing. Thinking about my mom in law today too as she is getting her first radiation treatment. She is cancer free now but still has to go through treatment. I have family on both sides of my family that has had to struggle with cancer. I never was able to meet one of my grandmothers as she passed away when my mother was still young, my other grandmother also had breast cancer and even had to have a breast removed but lived to be an old woman, she passed away a few years ago. I even believe that ovarian cancer has been a problem in my family but not any current generations. If I have that wrong then it's cysts or something else. Either way it seems like I am not lucky when it comes to potential future and current health problems, the cards have been dealt and I'm working with that I can handle. I just hope that my mom in law will be ok, I know that going through treatments can be difficult. Fortunately for people now these days the chemicals they use in radiation and chemotherapy are more mild and less harsh than what they used to be. Honestly I've been so worried about getting everything ready for my birthday this next month that my mind has been more focused on this next year than in the current moment. Today however I am in the current moment as there is still lots to do in the current calendar year. Hope I am able to finish everything in time.

Snow Day

Today is a snow day for my husband due to the icy roads and highways. The roads look like they are better now but I'm sure that they will re-freeze overnight. Been nice to spend the day together so far.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Ingredients: 1 cup smart balance light or earth balance, 1 cup vegetable or canola oil, 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 ener G eggs (follow directions on box), 1 cup white vegan sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 4 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cream of tartar.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter (smart balance or earth balance), oil, confectioners sugar and white sugar in mixer. Beat in energ G egg replacer and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients, stir into wet. Prepare baking sheets with cooking spray or just place aluminum foil on sheets. Roll 1" balls of cookie dough into extra confectioners sugar. Place on cookie sheets. Can leave as balls or flatten with fork. Bake 8-10 minutes (may need to cook longer depending on your oven make), remove from oven, let cool and enjoy!

Picture featured is of Sugar Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 5/8 cup canola oil, 3/4 cup white vegan sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 4 tsp flax seeds, 1/2 cup soy milk, 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup chocolate chips.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind flax seeds in blender till powdery, add soy milk, blend 30 more seconds. Sift cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt. Cream sugar and oil in mixer. Add flax, milk, vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips. Prepare baking sheets with cooking spray or just place aluminum foil on sheets. Place 1" balls of cookie mix onto baking sheet, then flatten. Bake 10 minutes (may need to cook more depending on oven make, also will make a different if gas or electric), remove, let cool, enjoy!

Picture featured is of the Chocolate chocolate chip cookies.

Vegan Blondies

Vegan Blondies

Ingredients: 1/4 pound soy margarine, 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour (plus a little extra for your pan), 3/4 cup chopped cashews, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 2/3 cup vegan sugar or you can use unbleached or raw sugar, Ener-G egg replacer for 3 eggs (follow the box directions), 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup vegan chocolate chips.

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray or grease a 9 inch square brownie pan with some margarine or Earth Balance. Sprinkle with flour, and tap it around to coat the pan. Dump any excess into the sink. Cream together the margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the Ener-G eggs and the vanilla and beat until well combined. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just combined. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips. Spread the dough out evenly into the pan. Bake until golden on top and a cake cleaner comes out barely clean, around 40-50 minutes. Depending on your oven may need to cook for a little less or more time. Once finished set aside and cool. Cut into squares and enjoy! :)

Picture featured is of a blondie with a little cocoa in it topped with a little vanilla frosting and powdered sugar.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients and Crust Directions:

1/2 cup quick oats (may use gluten free), 1/2 cup sorghum flour (whole wheat flour or unbleached and whole wheat mixed together may be used), 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons raw sugar, 1/4 cup natural apple sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 9 inch pie pan with non stick cooking spray. Process the oats in a blender or food processor until finely ground. Blend in the flour,baking soda, brown sugar, raw sugar and salt. Pour the blended dry ingredients into a bowl and add the vanilla and applesauce until well combined. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of pie pan.Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes until slightly crisp. Set aside to cool.

Filling Ingredients and Directions:

8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, 12 ounces light firm (or extra firm) silken tofu, 1/2 cup agave nectar or sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix), 3 tablespoons brown sugar or raw sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg

Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Puree the 1/2 cup sugar, tofu, lemon juice, vanilla and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth and no longer lumpy. Pour one cup of this mixture into the baked crust. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and brown sugar to the mixture remaining in the food processor and process until well blended. Pour this over over the first layer in the crust. Bake at 350 degrees until the center is almost set about 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until chilled before serving. Enjoy!

Picture of slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake. Can also mix layers for a marble look.

The Sony A33

This is the Sony A33 digital single lens translucent camera for sale at Creve Coeur Camera.

I love all the features and hopefully I'll find a great deal somewhere on the A33.

Basic price looks like it comes in at about $749.99 but is on sale currently at $699.99

The A55 comes in at about $849.99

Sears Rewards

Nothing new to report. Just trying to stay off my feet today. Worried about the darn blister that keeps trying to come back on the bottom of my foot. Got some of the information from the Sears purchases my husband and I made months back when we first moved into our new house. Supposed to have points on our rewards card from our purchases but none of the points are there of course. About three thousand dollars and no points. So I contacted Sears today, requested some old statements and hope that they answer my email.

Anxiously Awaiting

I am anxiously awaiting the moment when I have my new camera in my hands so I can get back to taking beautiful and amazing pictures like this!

Another Late Night

Another late night but just not as late as I do actually plan to go to bed soon! I want to get a haircut. I feel so shaggy right now. My hair is at that, let it grow out or trim it stage. It's been since the beginning of September since I had it cut and it's grow out at least two inches. I'm considering taking off two inches all over, well, maybe not all over. Perhaps I'll see what I can do tomorrow. Have a big day ahead of me. Need to find account info, call a rewards place and get them to put the points on the card from our appliances purchases. Looked into it recently where we got the card and the points aren't there, of course, so now we have to call customer service. Yet another inconvenience but if we want the credit it has to get done. I wish I had everything paid off so we could spoil our family with more gifts but this year we're on a tight budget for family. Hopefully next year we'll be able to do more.

Holidays Happenings

With one a little over a week and a half left till Christmas I find myself wanting to take a lazy day. Yesterday was a bit day of camera research for me and I finally discovered which digital SLR camera I like best. Quite a list that I compared for cameras. First family Christmas was a success, now have a few more ahead of me.

Late Nights

I have spent many nights sleepless lately and I am hoping that tonight will be the last. I feel like I have resolved the SLR dilemma I was having. I have decided on the Sony A55 digital SLT/SLR camera if I can get a great price, otherwise I will hope to get the Sony A33 digital SLT/SLR camera.

I have been doing a fine job of staying off of my feet as much as possible to help the foot soar that was trying to form again on the bottom of my foot due to the neuropathy I have and my drop foot. I also have been having back problems again, more pain, swelling, more spasms, less feeling with complete loss of feeling suddenly from time to time. So I am back at the doctor to get treatment for my back. So far two injections in my lumbar spine, first made every thing worse and it took me awhile to recover, second didn't phase me, third will be a few days before Christmas and I'm hoping that it helps.

I have been trying to finish all the gift getting for everyone but it hasn't been all easy. I had some fun on Black Friday and did a bit of shopping that night. Next year I may plan to go out again but with a different strategy so I know exactly which places will be best to go and in what order.

Now that everything is concluding I'm hoping that my late and sleepless nights begin to end and I can feel rested once morning arrives every day.

It is after 4am now and when I began my camera preview / review blog post I wasn't expecting to go into such detail, however once I was part way in I couldn't stop till I had finished what I started. I really enjoy doing reviews I just find it more difficult to get on to my blog every day and update what is new. Hopefully I will be able to multi task my love of food, posting recipes and reviews, showing pictures of my work the latest and greatest photography, as well as what's new with me, my thoughts and randomness.

Good night.

Camera DSLR Research & preview / review

Normally if you ask me what is the best digital SLR (slow lens reflux) camera out there I can't answer the question. However after weeks of camera comparing and looking at all the details in the last few I was deciding between, I feel as though my opinions and thoughts can be trusted and taken as good advice.

I have been wanting to purchase a digital SLR camera for years now but have only ever owned point and shoot digital cameras. I do own a classic Minolta with what I believe is a 55mm lens, the camera itself is about 30 years old and was given to my mother and father from my grandfather right before I was born. This camera was then given to me my senior year of high school during which I was taking photography classes, this was the camera I learned on and got quite good at using. I even had a photo submitted to a contest and it won several ribbons. After high school I went on to continue my photography and worked for years with Lifetouch Portrait Studio going between studios like J.C.Penney and Target. I have continued to work with my photography and have even shot a few weddings, birthday parties, as well as fun spontaneous and outdoor/ landscape and still life photos. My first digital camera was a Fuji, second was a Fuji, third was a Samsung and my current is a Kodak. Both my Fuji digital's still work great, just behind on what's available now. My Samsung's flash broke and after that happened I began having other problems like the camera would freeze up, shut down and I would get glitches. That is why I purchased my Kodak, which I am sad to say I purchased in a rush as I just wanted to have a working camera at the time with more mega pixels. My Kodak has no optical zoom like my Samsung and 2nd Fuji do, and yes I still own all my old cameras. I have been looking off and on for years at digital SLR's and have always wanted to buy one. My Samsung dying and my Kodak not being the quality I was hoping for is what gave me the inspiration to finally purchase my first digital SLR camera.

After speaking with a camera consultant I found out that all Canon cameras and Nikon cameras only have image stabilization in the camera lens themselves and not in the camera body like in other DSLR cameras. I decided that was a problem as it means all the stabilization is being relied on from the lens and not the main part of the body while you are taking photos. Have you ever tried to take a photo with the image stabilization turned off? I haven't, but I know that unless you have a tripod your photo will turn out blurry and you won't be pleased.

It turns out there are plenty of great digital SLR cameras out there to choose from. After going to two different Creve Coeur Camera stores I found that I was looking between getting a Canon, Pentax, Olympus or a Sony. Sony's 'a' series cameras are new for the market and have a new system that I just love! Sony's SLR cameras technically are not SLRs at all but instead called SLT (single lens translucent) and can do almost exactly what the traditional digital SLR camera can do but without the lenses clicking away while you take pictures; this also makes for quiet picture taking. With the SLT Sony 'a' series cameras, they can work faster and give you more fps (frames per second).

I have taken my time over the past month and compared the Nikon to Canon digital SLRs, I preferred the Canon T1i and T2i to the Nikon D90 and D5000. In the past I have also tested the Nikon D3100 camera and it is in fact a very popular Nikon model.

The Canon T1i, 15 mp (mega pixels) and T2i, 18 mp, are both very good cameras and available at most retail locations. If you are interested in either of these cameras to keep in mind that the image stabilization is in the camera lens and not in the body themselves. At 3.4 fps for the T1i and 3.7 fps for the T2i you get more than some SLR's give you, however the Sony A33 gives you 7 fps with out the lag time, the Sony A55 will give you 10 fps. Price for the Canon cameras are average. About $649.99 -$749.99 depending on the sale you can get for the Canon T1i and $999.99 average price for the Canon T2i. Some can be found in camera bundles with an extra lens, camera bag and even a memory card. Though I do like Canon I like the Sony A33 better as it gives you more fps continuous shooting, 7 fps, and only costs an average of $699.99 with 14.6 mp.

I tested the Pentax Kx, Kr, and K5. The K5 is the top of the line right now at 16.3 mp with 7 fps and comes in at about $1599.99 This is not a starter camera. I did like the perks of the K5 but decided that the Kr and Kx were more in my budget so I tested them longer than the K5. The Kx is your basic Pentax digital SLR camera. It has 12.4 mp and can shoot 4.7 fps. It has different colored camera body's that are available and it is last years model camera so the price is more affordable now at about $599.99 The Kx doesn't have a lot of features and live view takes a very long time to work on this camera so I don't recommend using it. The Kx does have several attractive features such as the ability to use AA rechargeable batteries, the Kr also is able to use AA rechargeable batteries but only if you get the adapter case for it. If you're able to find the adapter case for the Kr somewhere for sale and able to purchase it, I congratulate you for doing so. The adapter case is a little expensive, around $60-$80 dollars on websites where I've looked, but if you are able to find one you will be thankful that you have the option to switch out your batteries when needed and not just rely on the lithium ion batteries. The Kx has the most images per battery life that I have seen on a camera this price, an average of 1100 - 1900 pictures can be taken on one charge. The Kr is only able to give 500 shots captured per battery charge. The Kr will give you more features, has 12.4 mp, can shoot 5.2 fps, has a burst shooting mode, a larger LCD monitor, but comes in less color options as the Kx. The Kr comes in three colors that I have found, black, white or Pentax red. The Kx comes in olive green, beige, chocolate, pink, bright blue, green, orange, purple, black white, navy and Pentax red. The Kr is a little larger of a camera than the Kx and self timer is 2 seconds more than the Kx and can give you the option of 12 second or 2 second self timing photos. There are also many other additional features for the Kr and Kx like the 11 point focus, several shooting modes, burst mode, face detection, and special effects. The Kr comes in at about $849.99 when bundled with the 18-55 and 50-200mm lenses, best deal that I have found for it and can be purchased at Creve Coeur Camera as well as other retail locations.

While trying to decide which SLR would be best suited for me I looked at Olympus but was only able to test the Evolt E620. I wanted to test the E30 but Creve Coeur did not have that in stock at the location I was at. The Olympus E620 is a nice camera for what it has, 12.3 mp. On the 14-42mm lens you should be able to shoot pictures at 3.5-5.6 fps, and on the 40-150mm lens you should be able to shoot pictures at 4-5.6 fps. Overall I wasn't that impressed with Olympus so I didn't test it out that long. I didn't appreciate how the camera felt in my hands, the lens zoom and focus felt further away from the camera body, the focus seemed strange and I had to remind myself every time where it was on the lens as I wasn't used to the feel of the camera. Coming in at about $699.99 I feel that you can get much more camera for the price by purchasing the Sony A33, it is the same price and gives you 14.6 mp and shoots 7 fps. The camera I wasn't able to test, the Olympus E30, comes is at about $999.99 and has 12.3 mp.

From the first moment the Sony SLT cameras were in my hands up to now I have been astonished with how much fun they are to shoot, how many features they have, the price, but one thing that bothers me is that they are not your traditional SLR cameras. The single lens translucent camera technology is amazing though and this is one camera that functions just as great as a high end digital SLR camera. I have mentioned bits and pieces about this camera all through my preview camera reviews, but now I am going to devote this section to talking more about it. The Sony "a" series has two types of cameras, the SLT's like your A33 and A55, or your NEX series cameras which are basically point and shoot cameras but with a twist. NEX cameras have interchangeable lenses which means they can zoom in, focus and get better pictures than your typical point and shoot digital camera. With the same SLT technology these cameras are able to capture some pretty amazing pictures. Back to the A33 and A55. The Sony A33 has 14.6 mp, shoots 7 fps and comes in at about $699.99 The A55 has more that it can offer at 16.2 mp, shoots 10 fps and is only about 200 dollars more than the A33, and at about $849.99 the A55 has about the same features, aside from a few here and there. I have tried the panorama mode on the Sony A33 and it looks amazing! If you have a basic memory card in your Sony camera you will begin to get lag after taking continuous pictures, so if you are interested in this camera make sure to buy a HD memory card. I was able to get an idea of what the A55 would be like as the A33 and A55 camera body are about identical copies of each other, I wasn't able to test the A55 as there were no display models at the time. As well as the Sony A33 I tested the A390 and the A290 cameras. The A390 has 14.9 mp but is only able to shoot 2.5 fps with burst or continuous mode, the camera comes in at about $499.99 which is 200 dollars cheaper than the A33 but with less features. The A33 and A55 features a screen that can tilt and move around at about 180 degrees for easy camera taking. The A390 has a tilt screen. The A290 does not have a tilt screen and has even less features than the A390 but with 14.2 mp and 2.5 fps continuous mode. The A290 costs about $399.99 and I recommend either the A290 or A390 as starter/ beginner digital SLR cameras. Do remember that these two do not have movie / video mode as the A33 and A55 do. One thing that I am disappointed about is how many images you can shoot per battery charge. On the A33 you can get approx 270 images with the finder and approx 340 images with the LCD monitor. Where on the A55 you can get approx 330 images with the finder and approx 380 images with the LCD monitor. On the A390 you'll be able to shoot more images at approx 500 shots with the viewfinder, and approx 230 shots in live view mode. Not all cameras have live view mode, it's actual a neat feature and one that I don't believe I'd use that often right now but if you are taking portraits or pictures at a concert or sporting event this could come in handy. The A390 has switched live view. As far as batteries are concerned for the Sony "a" cameras you will have to get used to the idea of using only lithium ion batteries as AA rechargeable batteries are not an option with these cameras. For the price the Sony cameras are a great deal, you get a lot of bang for your buck and currently you'll find deals on the Sony website and stores like Creve Coeur Camera, saving yourself some money on extra lenses when you purchase a new camera and lens at the same time. Currently you can buy a 55-200mm lens for $99.99 or a 75-300mm lens for $149.99, both a 100 dollar savings when purchased with a Sony digital SLT camera.

Conclusion: Overall I like the Sony cameras best! If I am able to find the Sony A55 for a reasonable price then I hope to get it. Otherwise I feel that the Sony A33 is just as wonderful of a camera. At only about a 200 dollar difference in price with a few extra features for the A55, both cameras impressed me by far more than any that I have tested. I recommend any of the Sony "a" series cameras. What to remember is that camera battery life for many digital SLR cameras is not as good as others, and using video / movie mode will drain your battery more quickly than just shooting photos will. For me what came into play for me was the options I wanted the camera to be able to do, regardless if I am currently using my point and shoot for those occasions. I want to be able to take action and sport pictures, portraits, landscape, travel and outdoor photos, indoor photos, spontaneous photos, as well as have something that feels like studio quality that can take professional photos, macro and night and low light photos. I have a long list of features that I am looking for and for the price I really feel that Sony delivers. Once I have my new camera I will do a full review and show some sample photos of what I've been able to take. I hope that my preview/ review has been helpful in helping you figure out what digital SLR camera is best for you, and I wish you luck in the purchase of your SLR camera.

Thanks to all the review websites I have gone to to help me in deciding which camera is best suited for me.

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

http://www.cameralabs.com

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk

http://www.digital-photography-school.com

http://www.digital-slr-guide.com

http://www.sonystyle.com

http://www.usa.canon.com

http://www.nikonusa.com

http://www.olympusamerica.com

http://www.pentaximaging.com

http://www.cccamera.com

http://www.schillers.com

http://www.bestbuy.com

And thanks to Consumer Reports and Amazon.com

First Christmas Celebration of the Season

Had the first Christmas of the season together with my extended family in a small place called Boonville, Missouri this past Sunday. Each year we gather in about the middle of the state and eat food, visit, exchange gifts and enjoy each others company. We used to go to my grandmother's house every year which was located in the heart of Boonville, however about ten years ago she had to move out of her house once her health started to decline. Then my grandmother had an apartment for awhile but that time was short lived and then she was living with assistance for some years, close to a medical staff if needed with others who are of retirement age. It has been a few Christmas's without her now and I do miss her warm spirit. My grandma always had an interesting take on life and things that were happening in the world, most importantly she always knew how to make us laugh and smile. I miss her and think of her more when it comes to the holidays. It was always a tradition, especially when my brother and I were younger, to go to our Grandmother's house for the holidays, and sometimes for a week in the summertime too. I don't remember my Grandfather as much and he passed away a few years before my father passed away. Then the year after my father passed my other Grandfather passed away. I only have one Grandmother left and I'm greatful to be a part of her life and she in mine every single day. Family is an important part of my life and I am happy to get the chance to see my family during holidays, birthdays and weddings. And even though it is a sad time when we gather I do enjoy seeing my family when we are together for a memorial, just wish it was under better circumstances.

This time of year I ask you one question? What are you thankful for?

I know what I am. Moments that last a lifetime, those memories that will never be forgotten, time with family though sometimes short lived at least it was a moment together in time.

New Blog Changes

I have new blog changes as I've combined my foodie blog with this blog. Hope you enjoy the free recipes. Until I get a book put together they are free for all to use and share. All have been very tasty vegan eats. Enjoy! :)

Potato Salad

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

Eight Red potatoes or use Four large Russet or Idaho potatoes
1 cup of Vegannaise (Vegan Meyo)
1 cup Celery, sliced thin and diced
1/2 Red Onion, diced or use 1/2 Vidalia Onion
1/2 cup of Scallion (Green Onion)
1 tsp Mustard, I use spicy mustard but you can also use dijon mustard
2 tbsp Fresh Dill or you can use dried dill, if dried dill use 1 tbsp
Paprika (for topping)

Directions:

Peel, cube, and boil potatoes until soft and fork tender. Drain and let cool. I drain the potatoes and then immediately give them an ice bath.
In a bowl, blend the Vegannaise, celery, onion, scallion, mustard and dill. Blend well.
Put potatoes in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, except paprika.
Sprinkle paprika on the top and chill in refrigerator.
Serve and enjoy.

Three Fruit Salad

Three Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

4 Apples (can be any variety, I use Empire or Red Delicious in my fruit salads)
4 Oranges (can be any variety, I used Minneola Tangelo for this fruit salad)
1 large Cantaloupe
2 tbsp Lemon and Lime juice, use fresh if available

Directions:

Core apples and dice into bite sized pieces and put into a mixing bowl.
Peal oranges and take out slices and put into mixing bowl.
Cut cantaloupe open and use scooper to scoop out bite sized pieces, put into mixing bowl.
Add lemon and lime juice and mix all the fruit together.
You can serve immediately or store in refrigerator.
Serve and enjoy.

Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients:

1 pint of Strawberries
1 bar of Ghirardelli chocolate (make sure to read ingredient list on back, some bars may contain dairy)

Directions:

Rinse and dry strawberries. Place to the side.
Use wax paper to place strawberries on after being coated in chocolate.
Chop chocolate bar and place into microwavable bowl.
Place bowl into microwave to melt the chocolate for one minute, stir with a spoon and repeat till all chocolate is almost melted.
To keep chocolate at a consistent temperature you can use a heating pad on low heat or use a microwavable heat pack. Once heated place under the bowl that contains the chocolate and continue to stir chocolate with a spoon while coating strawberries.
Use a spoon to coat your strawberries and place onto wax paper.
Allow to cool for at least fifteen minutes before removing strawberries from the wax paper.
Put strawberries into refrigerator, this allows chocolate to completely set.
Then enjoy.

'The Steve' -A Chocolate & Vanilla Vegan Cake with Raspberry Filling & Peanut Butter Frosting

'The Steve' -A Chocolate & Vanilla Vegan Cake with Raspberry Filling & Peanut Butter Frosting



For Raspberry Filling between Chocolate and Vanilla cake layers:

One jar of seedless Raspberry Jelly for filling.


Ingredients for Peanut Butter Frosting:

1 cup creamy peanut butter (for this recipe I used Natural Peanut Butter)
1/2 cup vegan margarine (I use Smart Balance Light)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp soy milk

Directions for Peanut Butter Frosting:

Whisk or blend together in electric mixer all ingredients until smooth and creamy, adding more or less soy milk to achieve the desired consistency.


Ingredients for Chocolate Cake:

1/2 cup soft vegan margarine (I use Smart Balance Light)
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 cup soy milk
1 2/3 cups all-purpose white flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sweetener (I use Vegan Sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup water

Directions for Chocolate Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 round layer pans, 8" x 1-1/2", with Pam (or any vegan safe spray), or slightly oil and flour. (I used one round cake silicone pan for Chocolate cake recipe)
Put vinegar in cup and add soy milk.
Place flour, cocoa, sweetener, baking soda, and salt in large bowl electric mixer, and mix together.
Mix Ener-G Egg Replacer and 1/4 cup water until smooth.
Add margarine, vanilla, soured soy milk, 1/2 cup water, and mixed egg replacer to dry ingredients in bowl.
Beat with electric mixer for 3 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl frequently.
Pour into prepared pans. (I used one round cake silicone pan for Chocolate cake recipe)
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool on cake rack for 10 minutes.
Remove from pan(s) and cool on cake rack until cold.


Ingredients for Vanilla Cake:

1/2 cup soft vegan margarine (I use Smart Balance Light)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
1 3/4 cups sugar (I use Vegan Sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions for Vanilla Cake:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray two round 8" x 1-2/3" pans with Pam (or any vegan safe spray), or lightly oil and flour. (I used one round cake silicone pan for Vanilla cake recipe)
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
Mix Egg Replacer and 1/4 cup water and set aside.
Mix soy milk and 1/2 cup water, and set aside.
In large bowl electric mixer, beat soy margarine until it is creamy, about a minute.
Gradually add sugar until well creamed. Beat in vanilla.
Add mixed dry ingredients and mixed soy milk/water alternately to creamed margarine, sugar, and vanilla, beating after each addition.
Begin and end with flour mixture. (Add flour in 4 steps, liquids in three.)
Add mixed Ener-G along with the third addition of liquid.
Turn evenly into pans. (I used one round cake silicone pan for Vanilla cake recipe)
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done (wooden pick inserted into cake comes out clean).
Remove from oven and let cool on cake rack for 10 minutes.
Remove from pan(s) and cool on cake rack until cold.



Instructions for putting cake together:

If cakes are not cooled enough before adding filling and icing, you can place cakes in the refrigerator for one hour.
Once cooled, take the Chocolate cake and slice in one half horizontally across so there are two portions of chocolate cake.
Take the cooled Vanilla cake and slice in one half horizontally across so there are two portions of vanilla cake.
Open jar of seedless raspberry jelly and get spoon or spatula for spreading.
Take one tbsp of Peanut Butter Frosting and place on the center of serving platter.
Place first section of Chocolate cake on top of the tbsp of frosting on the serving platter. This will be your bottom layer of cake.
Take 1/3 of Raspberry jelly and smooth over the top of chocolate cake.
Place one section of Vanilla cake on top of chocolate cake layer. Smooth another 1/3 of Raspberry jelly on to of Vanilla cake.
Place second section of Chocolate cake on top of vanilla cake layer. Smooth remaining Raspberry jelly on top of Chocolate cake.
Place second section of Vanilla cake on top of chocolate cake layer.
Use a frosting spatula for easy frosting.
Take frosting and smooth over cake sides, put remaining frosting on top of cake and smooth.
Chill in refrigerator till frosting is set.
Serve and enjoy.

Cheeseless Veggie Pizza

Cheeseless Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

Store made pizza dough (like Pillsbury Pizza Crust) or home made pizza dough
1/2 cup of Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 Onion (diced)
1 Roasted Red Pepper (sliced)
3 Roma Tomatoes (sliced)
1 cup of Jalapeno Peppers (seeded and sliced)
2 cloves or 1 tbsp of chopped Garlic

(Use can use any vegetables that you enjoy for this recipe, those listed are what I used for the featured photo)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 400 degrees for dark or nonstick pan.
Spray a cookie sheet or casserole pan with Pam (or any vegan safe spray).
Place pizza dough on cookie sheet or casserole pan and press to desired dough thickness.
For this recipe I used a cookie sheet to cook my pizza on.
Spread 1/2 cup of Spaghetti Sauce over pizza dough.
Place vegetables on top and bake.
If you just place cheese on top of your pizza (like soy or rice cheese), bake for 9 to 13 minutes.
Otherwise bake pizza for 13 to 17 minutes, or until crust is deep golden brown for pizza with veggie toppings.
Remove from oven and let rest for at least five to ten minutes.
Slice and enjoy.

Quick Cheddar Cheese Potato

Quick Cheddar Cheese Potato

Ingredients:

1 Russet Potato
1 slice of vegan cheddar cheese
1 tbsp of fresh dill
1 tsp of fresh parsley

Directions:

Wash potato and poke holes into potato on each side.
Take a paper towel and wet, squeeze out access moister and place paper towel on plate.
Put potato on plate and put into microwave.
If your microwave does not have a potato setting button, cook on high for 5 minutes, turn and then cook for another 2 1/2 minutes.
Take out potato and cut open, if still not completely cooked through place back in microwave for another minute or until desired consistency.
Take 1 slide of cheddar cheese and cut into strips and place on potato. Put back into microwave and cook for another thirty seconds.
Top with fresh dill and parsley.
Enjoy.

Fresh Fruit Leaf Salad

Fresh Fruit Leaf Salad

Ingredients:

1 serving of Leaf Spinach
1/2 cup Mandarin Oranges
Three Strawberries
2 tbsp of juice from Mandarin Oranges for salad dressing

Directions:

Wash and dry leaf spinach.
Wash and pat dry Strawberries.
If fresh Mandarin Oranges, cut and set slices to the side.
Add leaf spinach to your plate, add Strawberries and Oranges.
Add juice from Mandarin Oranges on top of salad.
Enjoy.

Spicy Tofu Pasta

Spicy Tofu Pasta

Ingredients:

1 package of Firm Tofu
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 cup of Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp of Curry
Package of Noodles (can be any variety)
Spices (any variety you like) I use hot pepper flakes, pepper, dash of salt, and a little dash of tabasco.

Directions:

Remove tofu from package and drain. Should take a half an hour to one hour. I drain my tofu by placing it in a colander with paper towels over it and place something heavy on top to help the tofu drain.
Once tofu is drained place in a bowl with 1/2 cup of soy sauce. Let tofu marinate in soy sauce for at least fifteen minutes. I usually marinate mine for a 1/2 hour.
Take your red and green bell pepper and remove the top and seeds. Slice in strips.
Cook peppers on stove top on medium heat.
Take tofu out of marinate and cut into bit sized pieces.
Add tofu to peppers on stove top and continue to cook for another ten minutes.
Cook your noodles according to manufacturer instructions.
Once all vegetables and noodles are done mix them together.
Add the curry and spices and mix together.
Enjoy.

Light Breakfast Five Fruit Salad

Light Breakfast Five Fruit Salad

About the fruit in the fruit salad:

You can use any variety of apples you enjoy, for my fruit salads I like using red delicious or empire. For my grapes I usually use red but also sometimes use green. I use whatever is in season at the time for the cherries in my fruit salads. Right now I am using Bing Cherries. For the juice in the salad, it can be either fresh or bottled juice. Though fresh is always better. Also another great juice to use is Key Lime Juice in your fruit salads. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 Apple
1 Banana
1/2 cup of Grapes
1/2 cup of Cherries
2-4 Strawberries
1-2 tbsp of Lime Juice

Directions:

Wash all the fruit first and pat dry with paper towel.
Cut and dice up apple, put into bowl.
Slice Banana and put into bowl.
Slice and dice Strawberries, put into bowl.
Cut Grapes in half or you can keep whole, put into bowl.
Cut around the Cherry, then twist one side of cherry, pit should be on remaining half, pit out other side using your thumb. Once all are cut and pitted, put Cherries into bowl.
Add Lime Juice over the fruit and lightly toss so everything is well coated in the juice.
Eat and Enjoy.

Roasted Garlic Veggie Pizza

Roasted Garlic Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

Store made pizza dough (like Pillsbury Pizza Crust) or home made pizza dough
Four heads of oven roasted garlic (Use more or less heads of garlic based on your liking.)
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, diced
1 Orange Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 container of Mushrooms, sliced thin (Use more or less based on your liking.)
1 cup Celery, diced
1 Onion, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 400 degrees for dark or nonstick pan. Spray a cookie sheet or casserole pan with Pam (or any vegan safe spray). Place pizza dough on cookie sheet or casserole pan and press to desired dough thickness. For this recipe I used a cookie sheet to cook my pizza on.

Dice onion and put into a pan over medium heat and cook for at least ten minutes. You can cook shorter or longer based on how you want your onions.
Dice the celery and bell peppers and add them to another pan over medium heat and cook for at least ten minutes. You can also cook the pepper and celery mix for shorter or longer time based on how crunchy or soft you want them to be on the pizza.
Wash and thinly slice the mushrooms and cook in a pan over medium heat, once mushrooms begin to reduce heat to low.

Put cloves of roasted garlic every 1 inch apart over the pizza. (directions for how to make roasted garlic listed below), if you like you can rub some of the roasted garlic into the crust. Give it an extra garlic taste.
Add mushrooms, diced peppers and celery and spread evenly over the pizza. You probably will not need to use the entire amount of diced peppers and celery, so set aside what you do not use. The remaining amount will go great on a baked potato or you can use it for home made salsa.

If you just place cheese on top of your pizza (like soy or rice cheese), bake for 9 to 13 minutes.
Otherwise bake pizza for 13 to 17 minutes, or until crust is deep golden brown for pizza with veggie toppings.
Remove from oven and let rest for at least five to ten minutes.
Slice and Enjoy.


How to make roasted garlic:

Ingredients:

Take heads of garlic, remove upper quarter
4 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher Salt (ground salt can be used in place of kosher)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Based on your oven, oven time and temperature may vary.
I set my oven to 375 degrees F and cook the garlic for 45 minutes, covered in foil.

Place the garlic on foil on a baking sheet or placing in a cake tin works well too. Rub the olive oil on top of each head of garlic. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, place cut side down, on the foil on the baking sheet (or cake tin). Pull over the foil so all of the garlic is completely covered.

Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, which takes 45 minutes for me. If you like you can reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for one hour.

Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Carefully remove each clove of garlic from the head. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel any cloves you can not remove individually. Set aside until needed.

Garlic Sauce for a white pizza.

Directions on how to make Garlic Sauce for a white pizza.

If you know any lacto-vegetarians or vegans, this is a recipe that both can enjoy. Even meat eaters will enjoy this incredible garlic sauce. Variation for both dairy and non-dairy garlic sauce. This sauce can be used in making a white pizza, which usually includes adding some cooked onion, spinach and cheese. If you would like to make a white pizza and use the garlic sauce recipe but don't want to use dairy cheese, you can use soy or rice cheese instead. Whole Foods carries a vegan mozzarella cheese, already grated. If you are making this pizza for lacto-vegetarians or meat eaters and they would like diary cheese on top, you can use some mozzarella and provel. Eight ounces of mozzarella or one package. Four ounces of provel or 1/2 package. You can also add chopped basil and parsley leaves to the top of your pizza.


Vegan recipe for Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup soy milk
2 tbsp of unsalted vegan butter
2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp & extra pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 heads roasted garlic, per pizza
4 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher Salt (ground salt can be used in place of kosher)
Freshly ground black pepper

How to make roasted garlic:

Ingredients:

Take heads of garlic, remove upper quarter
4 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher Salt (ground salt can be used in place of kosher)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Based on your oven, oven time and temperature may vary.
I set my oven to 375 degrees F and cook the garlic for 45 minutes, covered in foil.

Place the garlic on foil on a baking sheet or placing in a cake tin works well too. Rub the olive oil on top of each head of garlic. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, place cut side down, on the foil on the baking sheet (or cake tin). Pull over the foil so all of the garlic is completely covered.

Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, which takes 45 minutes for me. If you like you can reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for one hour.

Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Carefully remove each clove of garlic from the head. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel any cloves you can not remove individually. Set aside until needed.

Directions for sauce:

Gently heat soy milk in a small saucepan, just until barely simmering. Remove and keep covered.

In a separate saucepan, melt vegan butter. When foam subsides, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Do not allow the flour to color. Gradually add the warm soy milk, whisking to combine. Add the salt and cayenne, increase the heat to medium. Cook the mixture, whisking continuously until the sauce comes to a boil and is thickened. Remove from the head and add the roasted garlic cloves. Pour the mixture into a blender/food processor or use a hand mixer to blend. Cover tightly if in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

When ready to put sauce on pizza. Spread entire amount of sauce over pizza dough. Then add veggies and cook.

I use store made pizza dough (like Pillsbury Pizza Crust), but you can also make your own home made pizza dough.

If you just place cheese on top of your pizza (like soy or rice cheese), bake for 9 to 13 minutes.
Otherwise bake pizza for 13 to 17 minutes, or until crust is deep golden brown for pizza with veggie toppings.
Remove from oven and let rest for at least five to ten minutes.
Slice and Enjoy.


Non-Vegan Recipe for Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp & extra pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 heads roasted garlic, per pizza
4 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher Salt (ground salt can be used in place of kosher)
Freshly ground black pepper

How to make roasted garlic:

Ingredients:

Take heads of garlic, remove upper quarter
4 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher Salt (ground salt can be used in place of kosher)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Based on your oven, oven time and temperature may vary.
I set my oven to 375 degrees F and cook the garlic for 45 minutes, covered in foil.

Place the garlic on foil on a baking sheet or placing in a cake tin works well too. Rub the olive oil on top of each head of garlic. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, place cut side down, on the foil on the baking sheet (or cake tin). Pull over the foil so all of the garlic is completely covered.

Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, which takes 45 minutes for me. If you like you can reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for one hour.

Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Carefully remove each clove of garlic from the head. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel any cloves you can not remove individually. Set aside until needed.

Directions for sauce:

Gently heat milk in a small saucepan, just until barely simmering. Remove and keep covered.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter. When foam subsides, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Do not allow the flour to color. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking to combine. Add the salt and cayenne, increase the heat to medium. Cook the mixture, whisking continuously until the sauce comes to a boil and is thickened. Remove from the head and add the roasted garlic cloves. Pour the mixture into a blender/food processor or use a hand mixer to blend. Cover tightly if in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

When ready to put sauce on pizza. Spread entire amount of sauce over pizza dough. Then add veggies and cook.

I use store made pizza dough (like Pillsbury Pizza Crust), but you can also make your own home made pizza dough.

If you just place cheese on top of your pizza (like soy or rice cheese), bake for 9 to 13 minutes.
Otherwise bake pizza for 13 to 17 minutes, or until crust is deep golden brown for pizza with veggie toppings.
Remove from oven and let rest for at least five to ten minutes.
Slice and Enjoy.

Fried Potato Slices

Fried Potato Slices

An easy to make recipe.

Ingredients:

Four small Russet Potatoes
Salt & Pepper for seasoning
Butter for cooking or use olive oil

Directions:

Rinse any dirt off of potatoes and pat access water off with a paper towel.

Take potatoes and slice into thin pieces. Will take longer time to cook for thicker slices of potato. If you do not want to cut your potato into slices with a knife, a mandoline works great and insures all slices are evenly cut.

Your potatoes should look like this after all are cut into slices.

Prepare a pan and set on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of butter or you can use olive oil. I find using butter works best for cooking potatoes.

Increase heat to medium high after ten minutes and cook for an additional ten to twenty minutes. Depending on the thickness of your potatoes and oven, cooking time may vary. Add salt and pepper to season while potatoes are still cooking.

Potatoes should look nice and golden once completely cooked. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy.

I enjoy my fried potato slices with a little ketchup and hot sauce.

Homemade Hash Browns

Homemade Hash Browns

Ingredients:

3 small Russet potatoes
Salt & Pepper for seasoning
Butter for cooking or use olive oil

Directions:

Rinse any dirt off of potatoes and pat access water off with a paper towel.

Get out a plate and a grater. The plate is for catching the potato as you are grating it. Set burner on medium high heat and put butter or olive oil into pan.

After all the potatoes are grated through, remove grater and add potatoes to pan. Let cook until bottom side are golden brown. Add salt and pepper to season potatoes. Turn potatoes over and let other side cook until golden brown. Once everything is all golden, potatoes should be finished cooking.

If you believe your potatoes need more cooking time after a taste test, continue to cook on stove top for another five minutes. After potatoes are finished cooking remove from stove top. Serve and Enjoy.


I hope that you enjoy making and eating your hash browns. This is an easy recipe that tastes great. I enjoy adding jalapeno peppers to my hash browns. So I chopped up my peppers and cooked them on the pan for two minutes at medium heat, then added them to the top of my hash browns. I also had some left over chopped bell peppers and celery from my pizza, so I added them to the pan, cooked them for one minute on medium heat, and added them to the top of my hash browns over the jalapeno peppers. Let's not forget the hot sauce, I added that on top of everything and it was a spicy and flavorful meal for an afternoon lunch.

VegaDeli Restaurant Review, Sunday, June 14, 2009

VegaDeli is a 100% Vegan restaurant located at Hilltown Village Center in Chesterfield, MO.

My husband and I recently visited this restaurant on Saturday, June 13th. From first glance the restaurant was welcoming, clean and I enjoyed the open space filled with simple decorations hanging from the walls and ceiling.

VegaDeli uses real china, silverware and provides coffee mugs if you want to drink water, which comes from a stainless steel water dispenser. VegaDeli has a variety of drinks to choose from, coffee, fruit smoothies, tea and juice.

The menu is updated daily as all ingredients are always fresh. I decided to order the Mango Chipotle Burger and my husband ordered the Portabella Sandwich. Usually I do not order dessert when my husband and I dine out at restaurants but we both were interested to try the Carrot Cake.

The quality of the food was amazingly fresh and tasty. The Mango Chipotle Burger, featured in Sauce magazine, has a sweet and slightly spicy flavor. The burger is soy and vegetables and topped with greens, avocado, soy cheese and the mango chipotle flavor that brings everything together perfectly.

The Portabella Sandwich was on rye bread and had juicy portabella mushrooms with baby greens, avocado, and soy sauce.

Carrot cake for dessert is a great encore to a succulent sandwich or a tasty burger. The cake with carrots, raisins and cream cheese frosting, was light, fluffy and moist.

Overall the quality of the food, price, location, and service was excellent. My husband may not be a vegan but he enjoyed his meal at VegaDeli.
This is one restaurant that I will be visiting again.


VegaDeli receives 5 out of 5 Bell Peppers

Very Berry Fruit Smoothie

Very Berry Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of cherries, sliced and pitted
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 cup of orange juice
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 cup of ice

Directions:

You will need a blender to make your smoothie. Wash fruit, dry, chop and set aside. Add your orange and lemon juice to blender. Add the blueberries and set blender to smoothie setting and blend for about ten seconds. Add cherries and blend for ten seconds in blender. Add apple slices one slice at a time and blend together. Add ice and blend, this will thicken your drink otherwise you can leave the ice out. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Thursday, July 16, 2009 Breakfast of Champions.

Simple as a glass of soy milk and a small bowl of blueberries, a wonderful way to start your day. Nutritious and tasty.