Easter Bread...Vegan-esque Style

Sometime last year, I won my first blog give away: a subscription to Living Crafts Magazine! The magazine features lots of knitting that I can only dream of actually being able to do, but now + then, something jumps out at me...like this recipe for Italian Easter Bread. Or as we used to call it growing up, Dolly Bread.

I thought this would be such a fun Spring something to do with my kiddos, with Easter being just around the corner. I'm calling this a Vegan-esque recipe, because obviously, I am not entirely opposed to using eggs on occassion. However, I did substitute Earth Balance Margarine for the butter...and used Soy Milk instead of cow milk. We halved the dough recipe {since we only had 4 boiled eggs on hand to braid into our bread}, however next time I make the bread, I am going to try using some Egg Replacer in the dough, since this recipe calls for more eggs than I'd like! I also substituted Almond extract instead of using Vanilla for the icing...as long as there aren't any allergy issues, I highly recommend it!I kind of felt like Super Mama; comming home from teaching at the college yesterday afternoon, setting off to bake bread with my little folk. Well, maybe not entirely Super, as I did have my Mum here to help me! We opted to make these individual little bread baskets instead of the longer braided loaves of bread I remember from when I was small. We all had a great time with this baking project and the Monks + the Fif were just smitten with the Turtle we made from the left over dough! Delish! Ahem, really. We ate almost all of what we had made this morning!

Happy Baking!

xo.

An Easter Tradition of Giving...

The Monks began his first year of CCD this year...

{Backtrack: John + I were raised attending Catholic schools all of our lives, making all of our sacraments, etcetera. My in-laws are devout Polish Catholics + attend Mass every morning at 7:30am. As for my family: my father's side {Italian Catholic} these days, only set foot in Church on holidays + for baptisms. At the other extreme, my mother {raised Irish Catholic}, is now a Deacon in the Lutheran Church...not feeling "the love" 100% from the Catholic Church for having been divorced. Yeah, there is alot to like + dislike when it comes to religion and over the years those feelings + questions motivated John + I to explore Buddhism... Then we were Hare Krishna Devotees...and in more recent years, came to adopt some of the teachings of the Unitarian Universalist Church. I think our families had some expectations that we would give our children religious {ahem: Catholic...or atleast Christian} education...and so we are. However, as I recently mentioned, we consider ourselves to be sort of Religious Citizens of the Universe; with the plan being that we would buffer bits + pieces of our little folks' catechism lessons along the way when we felt it necessary...}Phew!...That just about brings us up to speed. And brings us to the present: our first opportunity to supplement CCD, as it pertains to Lent. The Monks came home from CCD a few weeks back, telling me about what he was going to "give up" for Lent. Mimi {my Mum, the Deacon} happened to be here + she immediately jumped at the opportunity to explain that Lent; well, it is not about what we don't do...it is about the good we do. The expectation that during Lent, one should sacrifice because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for all people...well, I think that is one way to approach it. However, I alos believe that tributes can be made by living compassionately; in a spirit of love, sharing, friendship + understanding...as many a religion inspire + instruct people to do. And from a Unitarian Universalist POV, I feel that Spring is the perfect season for acknowledging all things fresh + new...the rebirth of ourselves as the best "US" we can be.

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My Mum's church has been working with an organization called Heifer for many years...and through a Lenten church fundraiser, my littles are enjoying collecting funds in their little cardboard barns {similar to UNICEF boxes} towards this effort. What is Heifer you ask?

** Heifer's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. With gifts of livestock and training, we help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. We refer to the animals as "living loans" because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need. It's called Passing on the Gift – a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding network of hope and peace. **
I am an atypical Vegan in that I do think that animals can live in harmony with humans; that we can provide them with love, safety, care + respect and that they can provide us with certain milks, eggs + wool in addition to work services. I thought a wonderful Easter tradition to begin this year would be to donate monies to this organization to purchase an animal through Heifer for a family in need in another country. I had been planning on a lower end donation that we could afford, like 20 chicks {for $20!}...however, my Mum was so ecstatic about the idea, she offered to help us so that we could donte a LAMB! I have placed a link to Heifer on the sidebar aswell as this link {I LOVE!} to Farm Sanctuary...either of these organizations would be so very happy to have any donation to help them continue their good works by helping end hunger, teaching people how to provide for themselves, how to love, respect + care for the animals who help us, treating these living beings with the dignity they deserve until the end of their days. While there won't be any meat of any kind on my Easter dinner table, we are planning to wait until Easter Day to tell the littles about the Lamb we donated to a family in need. We purchased a couple of t-shirts + books from Heifer for the little folk as well {much better than loads of candy, agreed?} to help explain the process of giving {...and so the Monk's can sport the T-shirt + tell the tale when he returns to school next week.} I am so super excited about this idea, the begining of this tradition + think that others of you might be too! So if you were not quite sure where or how a donation should be made... here it is! What Easter Traditions do you + your family practice this time of the year?

All the best as we approach this holiday + the spring season of all things new.
xo.

What might the Easter Bunny bring?

My goodness me, can you believe that many of us will be celebrating Easter in just over a week!?! Ever since I became a mama, I SO look foward to holidays; trying to make them as magical as possible with little activites + whatnot. Each year, I feel like I get a little bit better at planning for the holidays...figuring out what traditions need doing, what gifts need buying...and WHEN exactly I should do all of these things to make sure that all of my ducks are in a row when the big day arrives. And speaking of gifts, I thought I'd share some of my favorite purchases for this upcomming holiday. You see, when it comes to Easter, I usually prefer that the Easter Bunny not bring boatloads of candy {that often isn't even eaten...some of last years candy is still in the back of the freezer!} Seeing as that we don't do all that much "toy type" shopping on a regular basis, a holiday is the perfect time to spoil the kiddos a bit...and to swap out a whole mess of candy + chachkies for a few really nice presents that will be loved + enjoyed long after the holiday has passed. Like... {some great puzzles found here + here}

{ Soy Bunny Crayons from this shop + this amazing stacking toy from here}

{Ofcourse, books, books + more books...AND MORE BOOKS}

and yes, there will still be candy...in addition to some wonderful little gifts made by mama which I can hardly wait to share! Aren't these jsut the prettiest lollies you have ever seen? What fun I've been having these last few weeks...and the good news is that it is not too late to do some Easter ordering of your own!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

xo.

Even the tiniest of piggies

While I know that I had promised to never get all preachy on the vegan eating thing or on the subject of animal rights, well, I came accross this story {with these photos!} while reading and thought I would share it. The story of Petunia here reminds me of another famous piggy who had jumped off of a moving truck which was going to be taking her and others to a slaughter house. That piggy was then adopted and went on to live a nice piggy life!To look at these abdorable pictures {especially of said little piglet snuggling a stuffed animal!}, one can't help but be overjoyed at the outcome of this little piggy's story, as well as hope for her continued health + well being. Isn't that the kind of empathy + compassion we should feel for all creatures; especially mammals who are not so very different from ourselves? While our family may have missed the boat on making any donations or the like for Valentine's Day, well perhaps we will make an Easter time tradition of donating? {Perhaps your clan might investigate donating to this organization as well... instead of other Easter time "traditions" which involve pig.} Thanks for tolerating my shameless plugg for Farm Sanctuary this morning!

Wishing you all a wonderful day.

xo.

Scenes from the Christmas Cookie Swap...

I have to say that this really was the most successful Christmas Cookie Swap I have ever hosted! In the photo below, you will see just one of many...well, 15 to be exact, baskets and Anthropologie bags filled with cookies to be swapped. We lined all of the individually wrapped types of cookies out in the front porch so that as each guest left, they could refill their basket {or Anthro bag} with thier assortment of cookies! I can't thank everyone enough for their generosity in bringing appy's, wine and even hostess gifts! I was blown away. But really, I was just so happy that everyone could come...and I will most definately be looking foward to next years swap!

xo.

Swappin' Cookies

Each year for the last, oh... 4 years, on December 23rd I have hosted a cookies swap with some of my mama friends from town. The holiday season is usually so chock full of parties, that ironically, having the "girls night cookie swap" so close to Christmas actually worked out really well! Over the years, the number of ladies + friends who would be in attendance have changed, but I am so happy to say that this year, I will be having not only the largest group I have hosted, but also the most ecclectic group of friends to date! I am just brimming with excitement about all of the great conversation that will be had, {ahem, wine that will be drunk} + new friends that will know each other better after this girls night in!

::: courtesy of Macy's holiday window display, NYC 2010 :::

In the past, I had all my ladies pick one kind of cookie + then bake enough so that each person swapped 6 of each cookie. This year, because it is a large group, we are making enought cookies for 4 cookies each...giving us all a most wonderful assortment of Christmas cookies to either bring with on your holiday travels or offer in your home.

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Just for fun, I put together the 2010 Vegan Christmas Cookie Zine that you may have noticed along the side bar. It was not a requirement, but I figured that I would throw out some healthy alternatives to your traditional cookie...and I am thrilled that I had a couple of guests who were willing to try out one of these recipes for the party!

It's not too late! Send out some emails to some girlfriends and have a cookie swap of your own! I know it is close to the holiday...so if need be, I always make my parties as optional "Bake, Borrow, or Buy"! I know many will bake, but one friend is baking for 2 {the borrow}...and no one will ever be cross if someone has to buy...{'tis the busy season and c'mon, it's baking...sh*t happens!}

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xo.

Oh Christmas Tree...Part II

And this would be our other lovely, live tree that my Mister insists on buying becasue they smell so good! I, on the other hand, only insist on buying the tree right after Thanksgiving so it can be up and decorated for the Monks' family birthday party that usually falls the weekend after Thanksgiving. We are able to pull this off + still have it look fresh and green for Christmas because we put it on our closed- in front porch. Although the windows are new, there is zero insulation out there. We keep the french doors between this porch + the dining room closed to conserve heat energy. {Sadly, most of the piney smelling goodness stays out there as well} Although this makes the porch all but unusable from December to April, the cooler air does help our live tree from drying out...and the option to keep it closed off keeps it from being knocked down by little people! The year before last, I realized that we had quite a few green decorations, so I decided that to tie together the rest of our colorful glass ornaments, this would become our "green tree". I used some cascading green ribbon + some green, glittery, artificial pointsettas...but I still felt that I was in need of some decorations to fill in the gaps. In keeping with the "green" theme, again, I upcycled some of the cardboard packing boxes we had from my Christmas shopping by cutting them in the shape of simple triangular christmas trees...The Monks painted them green...and then later we decorated these little trees with green glitter glue. Another favorite decoration we added to this tree was the paper chain garland made from brown paper bags. I just made sure that if there was a logo on the bag, that I turned the plain side out. I store these garlands on the top of the bin of Xmas decorations and by using one of those storage bins with the dome top, I have been able to reuse these for 3 years now!

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I have to quickly mention that I do find it rather silly that what we refer to as out "green tree" or "live tree" is actually neither "green" {in the eco friendly kind of way} nor "alive"! But I figure that buying a cut tree does stimulate the economy for tree farmers...and they do smell lovely.

xo.

Oh Christmas Tree...Part I

A few of years ago, our live tree fell down twice, breaking many an ornament and leaving a huge mess. I decided that I was going to purchase an artificial, pre-lit tree, however, when Christmas came around, I caved and bought the live tree too. So now, each year, we put up 2 trees....hence the "part 1". For this tree, {my pre-lit tree} I wanted all of the ornaments to be gold. I decided we needed to fill in some of the gaps + was reminded of an ornament that still hangs on my mum's tree that I made as a child. Having quite a bit of cardboard from boxes kicking around, I cut out a bunch of star shapes. My son and I used glue to attatch different kinds of macaroni to the stars, then once they were dry, I spray painted them with gold paint. We used a glue gun to attatch ribbon to hang them and I think they make a wonderful holiday decoration, and wouldn't they make a wonderful gift to gife to family members? Easy and beautiful!

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* These also work wonderfully when done on the wooden cut outs available in craft stores...then attatch a magnet to the back for a gift that can be enjoyed the whole year through! *

xo.

Abstinence Month by Scary Mommy

So This from Scary Mommy is the darn funniest + most truthful post...atleast in my opinion. Having one little man conceived in February {November Birthday} + another conceived in April {January Birthday}...well, I missed March, but I really get the point when it comes to these winter babies! Even though we are totally set {aka "fixed"} when it comes to having any more littles...well, a month of abstinence? With 3 kiddos, there's been times when we have done THAT without any planning at all!

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Just a funny little something! Happy Tuesday!

xo.

A Thanksgiving Table

I would be lying if I said that Thanksgiving hadn't snuck up on me rather quickly this year! It is probably in part because we had some early holiday parties to attend, the Monks' NYC birthday trip...all happening right in step with our regular school/work/life activites that go on in November. And before I knew it, I was putting away the Halloween tree and taking out my Thanksgiving goodies. However, I thought that I remembered having more decorative this's + that's to put about? I have no idea what I thought I had, or where these items may have escaped to? I could only find my 2 pilgrims and the Thanksgving Platter that the Monks' made last year...

But here is the thing: as much as I enjoy, Thanksgiving, I adore Christmas and sometimes feel that the season can just go by too fast. So for the last few years, we decorate one of our Christmas trees {my gold tree} on Thanksgiving Day while we are preparing our feast. Our second tree, we usually buy on Black Friday Night and decorate so that our home is festive + ready for the Monks' Family Birthday Party that we host here each year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It seems like alot, but it really isn't...it is a tradition of ours and it makes me feel like we really get the most time out of our magical, twinkling Christmas trees + sparkling Ornaments.

But I still needed something for on the table for Thanksgiving...and with only a week to enjoy my display, I wasn't looking to have to make a trip to the store or spend lots of money. Luckily for me I had a few grapevine wreaths kicking about so I spray painted one gold {you know I'm a big fan of gold spray paint!} + wrapped in natural raffia. These color combinations always remind me of harvest time. I hung it on a wreath stand; and for the big day, I will have a gold tablecloth and finish off the table with some off white candles. There is nothing better than comming around a beautiful holiday table with those you love.

xo.

eat the little pumpkin

As promised from Thursday's post on Halloween Traditions: Here is the little pumpkin recipe!

Last autumn, we attended a spectacular wedding, where as part of the entre, we were served a mini pumpkin on our plates. This little pumpkin was so delicious, it very well could have been the dessert. We decided to try to replicate the recipe and this was what we came up with. Begin by taking 5-6 mini pumpkins and carefully cut of the tops {so they may be saved + replaced like a jack 'o lantern} then remove the seeds and strings. Place the pumpkins, lids on, in a baking dish with about 3-4 cups of water in the bottom of it, and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 375'.

While the pumpkins are roasting, I took 2 bananas and sliced them. We sauted the bananas along with 2 Tbsp. of butter and 1Tbsp. of cinnamon {more cinnamon if you like}. After the bananas are mostly mush and combined thuroughly with the butter and cinnamon, remove from the heat and put into the food processor. Once the pumkins are finished roasting, pour most of the water out of the baking dish. Use caution as the pumpkins are hot. I used an oven mit to hold the pumpkins and scoop out the meat of the pumpkin into the food processor. Don't completely empty the pumpkin, as you will want to use the pumpkin shell for serving. We added about 2 tsp. of vanilla and a pinch of salt, then blended away. Fill your pumpkin shells with the mix + put back in the oven {pumpkin lids on} for about 15 minutes, to warm through until the rest of your meal is ready to serve.

I have to say that we did a pretty great job of recreating what we had tasted at that fabulous wedding! The littles thought it was so cool to have a mini pumpkin on their plates...I never thought I'd see them eating pumpkin...that looked like an actual pumpkin and enjoying it! I hope you give this fun holiday treat a go, whether it is for Halloween or theThanksgiving season...I know I can't wait to make these little punkin's again

Bon Appetit!

And have a great weekend!!

xo.

Thursday: Halloween Traditions...

So this morning I got to thinking about some of our Halloween Traditions, after reading this post. I thought I would post some of what we have been enjoying this spooky Halloween season. Ofcourse, we have to have some great holiday decor, glossy black, please...

Some reading of The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe...

Time spent out-of-doors, enjoying a corn maze, a hay ride...and the most amazing apple cider +apple cider donuts ever!

Given more than about, Oh...35 "child free moments" a day, I would surely be watching anything by Alfred Hitchcock. I'm hoping to fit in atleast one viewing before Halloween!

But there are some really great movies we have been able to enjoy as a family too. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Coraline {kinda scary, but the Fif loves it?}...well, basically anything by Tim Burton. And don't forget about the oldies, like Hocus Pocus, Goonies...and the not-so-corny, Mad Monster Party!

And we have surely been getting our fill of the Harry Potter movies {especially with the next movie comming out 11.19.10}, featuring the devilishly handsome Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. These are some of our favourite movies + books. I suppose there is a part of me that identifies with Severus a bit...but that is a topic for another post...

And we cannot forget what was probably a "first scary movie" for many of us, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! Kinda scary...but it is another Fif favourite, so we watch it often!

And the Halloween Tree...which has not yet been knocked down in a house with 4 kiddos, an albeit small, dog and regular playdates. Huzzah!

Oh, and the holiday treats! This, my dears, I will post the recipe for over the weekend. During a season that is full of sweets, this is a fun, not overly sweet, little something that will pair nicely with a savory autumn meal...

And the Pumpkin picking. We just can't have Halloween without pumpkin picking....and carving for that matter! That will be for Monday's post!

We've been having a blast this Halloween season. These traditions have helped to keep us in the Halloween spirit, even with everyone's otherwise busy shedules. We should have all of our coustumes ready to go soon, as our first party for the littles is this sunday...which will then, essentially, kick off a week long "party" where the kiddos will be wearing thier costumes to each of their activities. The week will climax with some other traditions, like the school + town Halloween Parades. Oooh...and what I hope will be a new tradition, an Adult Halloween Party on Mischief Night, thrown by two of my favourite men. I'll save our costumes, for another post.

Hope you enjoyed some of our traditons...and please, share some of yours!

xo.