Pizza with Tempeh, Peppers and Mushrooms

I must admit that I have never been a big fan of tempeh. In the rueben, yes, delicious. In most anything else, not so yummy. But as with tofu I was fairly certain the preparation is key, and, heady with the success of my rueben, I decided to venture out into another dish. There was also a component of laziness built into this scenario, in which tempeh was already in the frig and other potential protein sources to top the pizza were still at the store.

So, I sauteed the tempeh with yellow pepper, garlic, and a bunch of seasonings. It browned nicely but still looked somewhat uncooked, so I decided to look at the packaging for guidance. No instructions there, but the recipe they included had you steaming the block of tempeh for 15 minutes, which made me think perhaps further cooking was needed. So I added some water and veggie broth to the skillet, brought it to a boil and then lowered the heat and let it bubble for 10 or 15 minutes to cook off the liquid. Needed a little more oil at this point to saute the mushrooms, tossed in some olives and tomato sauce and spread the whole deal on the crust. Topped with some mozzarella and a little parm and baked it up. Turns out, when seasoned well and fully cooked, I like tempeh!

Seattle: Liberals as long as we don't have to pay for anything

Maybe it's the fact that I'm facing my 13th year in the public schools with no contract in place and a best-case scenario involving almost breaking even to last year's salary. Maybe it's the fact that I have voted for 17 years to improve funding for public transportation and schools, only to see voter-approved bills shot down in the state legislature. Did you know that even though you likely voted like I did to keep class sizes lower (and lower is not low, just slightly more reasonable) and to let teachers have a cost of living adjustment (which for many years we did not, which means that every year we take a pay cut equal to the inflation rate plus the increase in health care costs), those were both slashed by your elected state representatives? So we will have up to 28 kids in a first grade class? And 24 kindergarteners with a teacher and no teacher assistant?

I digress. What I intended to rant about in this post was the fact that 53% of Seattle who voted this week decided they didn't want to put a 20 cent tax on grocery bags. Why would we want to generate money and help the environment at the same time? Bad idea, the majority of Seattle decided. Many of us bring our bags to the store already, so maybe they were annoyed by this measure for insulting them. Or maybe they don't, and adding 40 or 60 cents a week to their already high grocery bill was scary. But really, to me, it's just another case of not being willing to put your money where your mouth is, Seattle. You are perfectly happy to don your eco-friendly hemp baseball cap and roll out your Jade yoga mat knowing a tree was planted somewhere when you bought it, but when it comes to your money going out to intangibles like public education, infrastructure and transportation improvements, suddenly there's no extra cash in your wallet. I don't think Seattleites have their heads buried in the sand, but their wallets? Shoved down deep.

Fun at the Fair -- On a Stick!

During our recent trip to visit family in Wisconsin, we had an afternoon outing to the State Fair. I think it has been more than 20 years since my last Wisconsin State Fair, and while many things have stayed the same, there were some things I don't recall from my youth.

While I do recall eating plenty of delicious and not nutritious food at the fair, I don't recall the obsession with food served "on-a-stick." Within a few minutes of entering the fairgrounds I was drawn to this new phenomenon, and while I'm sure I irritated my family I made it a point to document the many culinary delights I found.

While there were plenty of nice diversions like this:there was also some time spent like this:in order that I might bring to you such tidbits as this:
Okay, I know, who hasn't seen hand-dipped cheese on a stick. And chocolate covered bananas actually pretty much have to be on a stick, and those I can remember from 20 years ago. But these sweet treats:
and these meaty bites:Don't recall having seen that before. Apparently I missed this year's signature item, the deep-fried, chocolate-covered bacon on-a-stick. As well as many, many others. For those of you lamenting having missed your chance at these delights, why not take the advice of the 2009 Wisconsin State Fair Snack Stick Champion, and "ask for us at your favorite gas station."

There may not have been many other vegetarians at this event, but Adelaide and I were drawn to one kindred soul:Now, if I could just get me some rodents "on-a-stick."

A tribute to Wisconsin

I must be missing Milwaukee as I have not been able to get Beans & Barley's tempeh reuben out of my head. I know, it doesn't really sound like something one would crave when not pregnant, but I guess you can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can't take the Midwest out of the girl.
I was hard-pressed to find Thousand Island dressing (and had I been able to, can't say as it would get used ever again) so I had to improvise with some vegan mayo and pickles, but other than that it was an easy stop at the PCC for supplies, a quick fry-up/toast-up and a lovely dinner. Hope you want to come by and have one soon, as I now have a 2-lb jar of organic sauerkraut taking up space in the frig!

Car Conversation - Five Year-Old Philosopher

Driving to Target:

A: Mom, is there any emergency chocolate? (The label I used once when I found a bar of dark chocolate in the armrest holder and shared it with her.)

C: No, I haven't gotten anymore. I should get some, huh?

A: Yeah.

long pause

A: Mom, do you think Emergency Chocolate makes you have more emergencies?

C: (stifling a chuckle) Well, yes, I think it might.

Home Again, Home Again

We've returned from a ten-day trip to see the grandparents in Milwaukee. Much fun was had by all, and highlights were documented and appear in this video: