Apartment Therapy
In the past week we’ve done a bit of rearranging in our apartment. I’m rather pleased about it. It helps make our place feel more spacious and practical.
You may remember sort of what our dining / kitchen area looked like before. We had added the cabinet as an extra prep area but it was often cluttered, and always played home to my mixer.
It’s now found a new spot right under the window. I’m especially excited about actually getting to use some natural light in some of my photos (hopefully at some point, as if I’m ever able to take photos any other time than late at night).
The space is much more open and I love that it features our china cabinet. We have lovely heirloom china from Shawn’s mom and I can’t wait to display it even more prominently. It’s so beautiful.
Not to mention our china cabinet itself is pretty awesome. We actually found it on the street and salvaged it. With some cleaning and paint, it was exactly what we wanted.
We’ve also moved our kitchen table to a more central position in our living room. This is great because it allows for more seating, whereas before it was against the wall and could only seat 3. We added a big bench on one side which definitely draws guests into sitting at the table.
Since the table doubles as a work space for me, the move is also great since I can now be in the living room when I’m crafting or sewing. No longer shall I be cast out when working on projects. Equally awesome is that I can now watch movies while I work. Sweet!
We got some new mounts for a couple of our bikes. I love how they look and they take up much less space on the wall than the way they were hung before.
We have a bed in our living room, even though we have a bedroom with a bed as well. It’s a little odd, but it always comes in handy for our sleepover movie parties or when visitors are staying with us (which happens fairly often). Now it is sectioned off a bit more by the couch so it doesn’t feel like you’re in a bedroom when you’re just hanging out.
The leopard couch will probably be going in storage for a little bit, but the cats are awfully fond of it (as am I) so we’ll see.
I’m so happy with how everything feels, just by making some simple changes. Hope you enjoyed the mini tour of our apartment. I realized while writing this that there aren’t many photos of it online.
Creamiest Tomato Soup with cashews
When the weather gets cold, I love a rich, creamy bowl of soup. Who doesn’t? It’s the best. My favorite is tomato soup, but I have to admit, I’m a little picky about it. I like my tomato soup thick and creamy. It shouldn’t have chunks and it shouldn’t be brothy.
I finally decided to try and make my own tomato soup, it seemed only logical. I was blown away by not only how easy it was to make but how amazingly flavorful it was. Since it is nearly as easy as heating up a can of soup, and about 10 thousand times better, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating pre-made soup again.
Creamy tomato soup approved by Shawn Bannon.
The key to making it so rich and creamy was cashews. I considered using some sort of soy creamer but knew it wouldn’t give it the right density or the subtle nuttiness.
I most definitely had seconds (and thirds). It was hearty enough to eat on it’s own, but since I ate it a few nights in a row, we also had some kale and roasted butternut squash to go along with it.
Creamy Tomato Soup
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp Earth Balance
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- salt & pepper to taste
In a food processor, blend together your cashews and vegetable broth until smooth. Pour into a separate container and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the Earth Balance. Add the onions and saute for about 2-3 minutes. As they begin to become fragrant, add in the garlic and saute until your onions are soft and translucent, stirring as not to burn. Add in your tomatoes, including any liquid in the can. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before pouring into your food processor. Blend until combined and not chunky. Add in the nutritional yeast and pulse to combine. Add in the cashew mixture and blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and pulse a few times.
It will be fairly thick, so if you like a less robust soup, add more vegetable broth.
Snowy dreams
I’ve been dreaming of snow. It’s been extra cold here in Southern California these past few weeks, but we don’t have that same winter feeling of snowy places. It was actually cold enough here to snow in areas not far from Los Angeles.
I looked back on our road trip last winter. Here are a few shots in snowy wonderland.
Look at this sweet bearded man. Beards are good for cold weather.
I’m hoping we’ll get to drive somewhere and see a bit of snow before it’s gone. Maybe I’m also just dreaming about anywhere else but Los Angeles as is often the case.
I can’t wait to go on another big adventure.
2010 Year in review
I’m so very happy that it’s 2011. There are so many wonderful things to come this year.
I thought it would be nice to take a look back at some of the highlights of the past year over here at Cute and Delicious.
In January I made lots of cupcakes for some bake sales, including the Homemade for Haiti fundraiser.
In February, I did lots of crafts, including reworking our book case, knitting a heart for Shawn and making coffee cozies.
In March, we celebrated St. Patrick’s day with holiday foods and I veganized my mom’s fudge recipe.
In April, I experimented with different recipes including vegan crumpets and raw sauerkraut. I also made some pies!
May was quiet, but we visited the amazing Rose Bowl Flea Market (and I made the best cherry pie, I’ve ever eaten).
In June, we went to Portland and got engaged. Biggest, best surprise of my life.
I highly suggest you read Shawn’s recap of the day as it is sweet and wonderful.
In July, I raved about Portland more and made a lot of waffles.
In August, I cooked with figs and made Star Wars cookies.
In September, I made Thank You cakes for friends and we took romantic photos in Griffith Park.
October was a busy month. We had the first screening of Brainwashed Love. We introduced our families at our engagement party. I also made lots of Halloween treats including a spiderweb cake.
November was also packed to brim with food and fun. I made savory things like tofu benedict, green bean casserole, carrot souffle and hot pockets. We celebrated with a birthday cake party and Harry Potter cupcakes. On the sweet side, I made a peanut butter coconut cream pie and Dia de los Muertos cookies. We also made our save the dates with vintage postcards and photos. That’s not even the half of it! Busy month to say the least.
In December, I made many many cookies from Martha Stewart’s recipes, except vegan of course. The most exciting was seeing what my wedding dress is going to look like and sharing a few details with you.
It was a crazy wonderful year. I think I did pretty good on my last minute year end to do list. Can’t wait to share everything with you all in the new year.
Happy 2011 (and a waffle sandwich)
My dearest readers, it is almost 2011. Can you believe it? I certainly can’t.
This year has been crazy. It’s been rough at times and some of the best things ever have happened as well.
I really can’t wait for 2011. I can’t wait for our wedding and all the new experiences we will have.
On the last day of the year we celebrated by rearranging our whole apartment. I’m rather happy about it.
And we made waffle sandwiches.
We received a fancy little waffle maker for Christmas. It had to get broken in immediately.
So we had waffles for breakfast. We made the Chelsea Waffles from Vegan Brunch
After we were hungry from moving all our furniture, I grilled up some apple field roast sausage and some slabs of tofu. Shawn made an amazing cheezy sauce. We piled it all together and devoured it. Definitely amazing. Delicious and amazing.
Tonight I’m looking forward to celebrating with some dear friends. My resolution this year is to be more magical. I think that’s what my life needs.
Happy New Year!
xoxo
