Monday 29 September 2008

In which Amy procrastinates from a law assignment

To tell you about VeganMoFo (Vegan Month of Food)! See Isa's blog for more information!
VeganMoFo
I'm joining in this year! So I've been evil and have saved up photos, etc for posting!
Possible plans include:
  • Brinner (total steal from Scrubs!)
  • Lazy student meals (how many ways can you make a tofu salad?)
  • How to tell your family that you've 'turned vegan' (is that like turning into a zombie, except you don't want to eat brains?)
  • Stuff I wish someone had told me when I first became vegan
  • Snacks for work, a how to guide
  • Why you'll never be skinny when I cook for you
  • Possible rants about the law
  • Vegan shopping in exciting locales!
I'm looking forward to a procrastination excuse!

Sunday 21 September 2008

Tofu madness

Asian Tofu and Salad
Veganomicon Asian Marinated Tofu with a baby spinach salad.  You can't see the beautiful glaze in this photo but drool..............................................
Cam's Malaysian Curry Tofu
Cam made this a while ago - it's fried tofu with a Malaysian Curry sauce.  This was a tasty (and speedy) dinner.  Yummers.
Isn't it nice to have a partner who can cook? :) 

Tuesday 16 September 2008

Creating things and feminism

Kath
A Stitch and Bitch snack (and Krafty Kath's talented fingers (dude, that sounds dirty!))
It's funny, as a feminist, I used to be a staunch opponent of craft, ALL craft.  I thought that the idea of making a dress, or knitting a scarf was antiquated; a waste of our brilliant minds.
HOWEVER, after becoming friends with some brilliantly crafty girls at uni (go English department at UQ! Woooo!) and at work, I've slowly, but surely become open to the very notion of creating things for myself.  Not that I didn't do this already via cooking (which I now see as more of a reflection of my growth as a vegan and society's obsession with the latest celebrity chef), but I now find myself fascinated by the possibility that I may possess the talent to learn to make my own clothes and other craft projects.
So, during the latest uni holidays, my friend Melissa (who, when she got married, made herself a wedding dress more beautiful than any you can buy) helped me learn to knit.  And thus, our little Stitch and Bitch group was born.
Kath's spread
Snack during Stitch and Bitch at Kath's place - checkout the great yarn in the background!  It was made into a super cool skirt (Cam was jealous that he missed out on tasty snacks)
Of course, as a lifelong book geek, I had to purchase a reference text (no, it's not a knitting book, it's a reference text!).  My friend Kath had the book "Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker" by Debbie Stoller (a book with the BEST title ever).  So my friend Melissa tracked down, and I (ever the sheep) tracked down too, The original "Stitch 'N Bitch".  Wow.  This book is funny, and a great way to learn to knit.
Stoller talks about the great familial experience she has with crafting, something that I wasn't fortunate to experience as a child (I was very much encouraged to read - I can tell you stories about Shakespeare comic books, but I digress).  I think our group likes to feel a metaphorical connection with our foremothers, after years of connecting with our literary foremothers (see Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" for the idea).  With those invisible foremothers, with those background characters that came, saw and knit.
The Wool Monster
Stitch and Bitch mascot (well, wool devourer) Rowley.  How cute is he???
So, I want to know, of those of you are crafty and feminist, what do you think about crafty fun?

Monday 8 September 2008

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie (and knitting)

White Choc Macadamia Cookies
It's my own bastardised version of the La Dolce Vegan Coconut Choc Chip Cookies.  I made a half batch of these and we ate them all at the movies!  (We saw Tropic Thunder - I love Ben Stiller when he plays a doofus!  It was like Zoolander, but set in the jungle!)
I have a Public Law exam this week, so I've been studying up a storm.  I lie - I've been knitting!  Check out this remarkably bad toy I made!  I think he needs a name......
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