My Three Things and a New Dog

I have this queer habit of lying in bed at night, reciting three things aloud, and yes, my hubby hears this every single night:  my lesson plans, what I am going to wear, and what’s for dinner. Leave one of these elements out of the nightly routine and I am a mess come morning.

Lesson plans: “Should I begin the unit on Robert Frost or Science Fiction tomorrow?” (You can see how important it is to know what to teach to a room full of 8^th graders.)

Wardrobe: “Should I wear my sleeveless blouse or my black turtleneck sweater.” (You are thinking I am joking, but that’s how often the weather changes up here in Michigan, seriously. I am addicted to the Weather Channel.)

Menu: “Should we eat a real meal on plates or just grab any old can from the pantry and call it good?” (You probably now understand that I am a control freak.)

So lately, I haven’t really been going through my famous three-point-nightly-plan and it’s gotten pretty ugly around here. Bringing up the poetry lessons instead of the Asimov lesson; arriving to my freezing cold school building with a short sleeve shirt; and coming home to an empty fridge. So sad.

But NOT this week! I have tons of great lessons planned; all the summer clothes are tucked away and sweaters are out and at the ready; I MADE A MENU! (big announcement!) Everything comes from Del Sroufe’s excellent cookbook “Forks Over Knives.”

                Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Ponzu Sauce, brown rice, raw veg salad

                Quesadillas and refried beans, Nacho cheese, roasted tomatoes from the freezer

                Broccoli Rice Casserole, Gardein Chicken Nuggets (LOVE those things), salad

                Lotsa Veg Soup, garlic toast, bruschetta

     Red Lentil Dahl, white rice, green beans from the freezer

One reason I have been so off kilter these past few weeks is this pretty girl, named Lucy. We rescued her from the pound a few weeks ago and my life has been filled with long walks, training, and trips to the Chow Hound for dog food. This girl can EAT!

Two Changes in My Life: One Small, One Big

DISCLAIMER!!!

 Hey, before you make this soap - read this! Turn out, after using this soap for a while, I actually did not like it AT ALL! 

Change Number One

 I started making my own laundry detergent. It's great. I will never use the name brand stuff again. 

Grate one bar Fels-Naptha soap.

 Add 1 C Borax and 1 C Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. 

Use 1-2 T per load. 

I put my grated soap in the processor to make it a smaller shred. 

After I added the Borax and Washing Soda, I gave it all a big whirl. 

Change Number Two

We lost our beloved puppy, Cabby, when she was hit by a car. My house is quiet and my heart is heavy. 

Chilled Double Chocolate Torte

Look at this glorious dessert! It tasted as incredible as it looks, believe me; we scarfed it down in about two days. The mousse topping was so creamy and ridiculously chocolaty.  This was actually a ‘practice’ dessert for my St. Patrick’s Day party. (You may recall that I served small finger sized desserts instead of something fancy.)

Cabby says, "May the luck of the Irish be with you." Of course, that was after she got into the Baileys  Irish Cream.... no comment.

Confession: I was afraid to serve this because it’s…. shhh….  don’t tell…. Vegan.  No eggs, no cream, no cream cheese, no butter. But there is a super secret ingredient. Read on, dear blog friend, to discover my delicious secret.

Another confession: I am kinda kicking myself for chickening out and not making this for my party…. Oh, well, next time! 

On the near horizon is a fantastic vegan luncheon, and this frozen beauty just might make it to the menu.

To see the recipe click over to Oh She Glows and follow the directions to a 'T' :) ....and here's a hint about the secret ingredient:

Crazy, right? 

And speaking of things that make my heart go 'thump'.... I saw the first robin of the year today! 

Won't be long now!

And more heart thumping than a robin, there was a mature bald eagle eating his lunch on our ice earlier this week. Lucky me!