Autumn Notes

I haven't updated our pictures for awhile. I actually skipped some so that I could post the more recent pictures of Clara. Sometime I'll have to post pictures of Clara's first birthday party and our travels out West. But, for now, here are some pictures to enjoy.

A couple of the pictures at the end are of all of us participating a couple of weeks ago in the Palmer 5K, part of the Quad Cities Marathon. Obviously, I am not hardcore like Ceri, who recently ran the Twin Cities Marathon. I was not planning on participating, but Brian signed me up after I apparently said I wanted to very early in the morning. I do not have any memory of this as I must have been pretty much asleep. Anyways, I did participate. I pushed Clara in her stroller and walked the entire way, stopping only to pick up Clara's snack container that she dropped a few times. Brian decided to run and finished rather quickly for his lack of running training. He bikes 10 miles a day roundtrip to his clinic most days, though. His running muscles were sore for a few days.

And, the last picture of the pizza is especially for the Foerderers, our friends that are vegan and pretty much gourmet chefs. =) The recipe I found for the "cheese" is wonderfully tasty and easy to make. It also works well on pasta and I think I am going to use it to make some stuffed shells. Here is the recipe from the cookbook, Vegan With a Vengenance.

Basil Tofu Ricotta

1 pound firm tofu, pressed

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

Dash black pepper

10 or so leaves of fresh basil, finely chopped

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

In a large bowl, mush the tofu up with your hands, until it's crumbly.

Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and basil. Mush with your hands again; this time you want it to get very mushy so squeeze through your fingers and mush until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese. This may take 2-5 minutes.

Add the olive oil, stir with a fork. Add the nutritional yeast and mix all ingredients well. Use a fork now, because the oil will make it sticky. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.