We are officially living in the Canyon!

It's been a long two weeks, but we slept here starting Saturday night. It's definitely different. I wake up before the sun rises, and apparently, so do the roosters! I finally got the computer set up this evening so I thought I would say hi. I still have a bit of unpacking to do but we are 75% done. I will post pictures as soon as the place is presentable, and I will start cooking again as soon as I can figure out where to put all of the spices!

Top 10 things that have made this move a bit interesting:
10. Dan and I have completely different ideas of how to pack and move.
9. It has been over 100 degrees all week.
8. There are A LOT of bugs in the country.
7. Annie (one of my dogs) does not like Sara or Heidi (the neighbor's dogs.)
6. We have no hot water or shower until at least tomorrow, possibly Wednesday.
5. I will have to keep 85% of my clothes and shoes outside in the barn.
4. My nice big office is now a bookshelf.
3. The TV does not fit on the TV shelf. This is a very big deal.
2. Cox Cable salespeople are sneaky little "cocks."
1. This house is only 495 square feet.

Happy Father's Day! Have some Ribz!

I totally stole the idea from Tracy over at A Veg*n For Dinner. She has some amazing seitan creations. I admit that I am not as "careful" about my presentation of these ribz as she was, but I thought these ribz were fantastic. Although I did steal her method for using "bonz," I came up with my own recipe for the "meat." I baked mine on Saturday night and threw them into the fridge. On Sunday, I threw the whole rack on the grill to warm 'em up and give them an even smokier flavor.



Chipotle Barbecue Ribz on Cedar Bonz
Dry Ingredients
3 cups gluten flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp granulated onion
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp chipotle powder (This makes 'em pretty spicy, feel free to reduce the heat if you need to.)
6 1 inch cedar bones (optional)*
Wet Ingredients
+/- 1 cup veggie broth**
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Bragg's or soy sauce
1/3 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used a chipotle hickory flavor)
extra bbq sauce for basting
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and knead about 5 minutes. Let mixture rest about 20 minutes. Pour a generous amount of barbecue sauce into the bottom of the baking pan. If using bonz, divide your "dough" into 2 equal pieces. Press one piece into the bottom of the pan, until it is in the shape of a large rectangle. Lay in the bonz equally apart from eachother, press the other piece of dough onto the top of the bonz, making sure to press in between the bonz so that the seitan sticks together. If you are not using the bonz, simply spread your dough into a nice flat rectangle. Spread another layer of barbecue sauce all over the top. Cover the entire pan tightly with foil and bake for about 75-90 minutes.

*If you can get your hands on a food safe cedar plank, cut it into 1" bonz uzing a saw, and then sand down the edges. Soak the bonz in warm water for at least an hour before use.
**If you find you mixture too dry, just add in a bit more broth.

Cheater Mac'n'Cheeze

When I want a real meal, I will take the time to make a full blown mac and cheeze. Whether it is the Cozy Inside recipe with its nutty crust or VCON's Mac Daddy with its tart and tangy noochy sauce, or any of the plethora of macs out there on the interwebs. BUT when I think back to my childhood, I have very fond memories of that flourescent orange stuff that took only a few minutes longer to make than it took to boil the pasta.

Enter "Cheater Mac'n'Cheeze." My quick, easy, cheater recipe for a creamy delicious bowl of kid-friendly mac.



Ingredients
1 pound of elbow macaroni, prepared in salted water
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (like Tofutti Better than Sour Cream)
1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance, of course)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp white miso
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare pasta. Drain and return to the pot. Throw in all of the ingredients and mix together well. Done.