February 9, 2011

If you happen to be looking for a fun, festive cocktail to surprise your Valentine with next Monday for Valentine's Day, then you've come to the right place! This Be Mine Martini is so simple that you can whip up for your Sweetheart in just a matter of minutes.

If you've been reading BigSisLilSis for awhile, you know that I LOVE making festive cocktails for special occasions or holidays. If you're new here, you can go to the related posts at the bottom of this post if you'd like to see some of the fun cocktails that I've concocted in the past.

So, let's get started. This is all you need.

And, we can't forget about the red heart-shaped ice cubes. I made mine with 100% Cranberry juice for a deep red color.

Be Mine Martini

Slice of lime
red & pink sugar
2 oz. vodka (My favorite is Ketel One)
6 oz. club soda or seltzer water
red heart-shaped ice cubes
Chambord Liqueur

Coat the rim of the glass with lime juice, then turn glass upside down into plate of mixed red and pink sugar. You can put the vodka in a shaker with some ice and shake before straining into the glass if you prefer, but if the vodka is kept in the freezer, it's not necessary.

Pour the chilled vodka in the glass and add the club soda or seltzer water. Drizzle a small amount of Chambord on top and lastly, add in 3 or 4 heart-shaped ice cubes.

(Note: this was a large martini glass, so if yours doesn't hold 8 ounces, just use 1 part vodka to 3 parts soda or seltzer.)

We don't go out for a big fancy, expensive dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day and I'm not one who expects a dozen red roses or a box of chocolates either. We like to exchange cards, enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner at home, maybe with a fire in the fireplace, some good music, and a fun, festive cocktail.

That's my idea of a perfect Valentine's Day!  🙂

~LilSis

February 8, 2011

You know that age-related memory loss that some of us get?  We forget names and appointments, and sometimes, even simple everyday words evade us.  For some reason, I can't remember the word Pomegranate to save my life these days.

99% of the time I try to come up with Pomegranate, what my brain gives me is Pomeranian.  It makes no logical sense, but in my mind, these little pink guys have been called Pomeranian Cupcakes more often than they've been called Pomegranate Cupcakes.  Sorry cute little yappy doggies, you know I'd never make cupcakes out of you!

But forget what I call these; you should call them delicious! Hannah Kaminsky calls them Pomegranate Ginger Cupcakes in her book My Sweet Vegan.  I successfully baked a bunch of things from this book for our SPCA Bake Sale last December, so I thought it would be a great source for a Valentine's Day treat.  I'm not a fan of crystallized ginger so I left it out of the cupcake batter, and I also omitted the ground ginger in the icing.  I didn't miss it a bit.

One bite missing...

This was a super-easy recipe, and I loved that it used 2 cups of the uber-healthy Pomeranian juice.  I mean Pomegranate juice, of course!  Everybody knows you can't juice a Pomeranian! 😀

The color of the cupcake looks a bit off in the photo, but these were really tasty so don't let that discourage you from making them.  They were moist and really flavorful!  Half of the POM juice was reduced to a syrup and drizzled over the unbaked batter, and it turned into a nice gooey tangy unexpected treat at the bottom of the cupcake.

I ad-libbed the icing with a stick of Earth Balance and powdered sugar and a bit of tart cherry juice, since I'd exhausted my supply of POM juice.  With a dash of good vanilla and some pink food coloring, the icing was finished.

2 bites gone now...

Make these for your sweetie this Valentine's Day!  And remember, they're Pomegranate Cupcakes!

~BigSis

January 6, 2011

I always make at least one New Year's Resolution, but most of the time, it usually ends up being two or three, or more. Last year, I had 12 things on my list.

Instead of calling them resolutions, I like to think of them as a ‘life list' of things I really want to accomplish in the upcoming year. Some may be harder than others, but some are small, simple things that help me function better on a daily basis.

For me, being a ‘list maker' and a ‘visual learner', the process of setting these goals and making my list helps me kick off the new year with focus and motivation.

Princess of the North

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

For 2011, I have a few things on my list that were also on my 2010 list and I managed to maintain them for several months, but gradually got away from my routine.

Here are a few things I want to work harder at sticking to in 2011:

• GO TO BED EARLIER. (This is a real challenge for me!)

• Plan healthy meals for the week and do all grocery shopping in one trip.

• Get back to yoga class twice a week.

• Restrict weekday “cocktails” and afternoon snacking.

• Weigh in once a week on Friday morning.

Last year I joined the Ten in 2010 Challenge that was led by The Recipe Girl and I did find that by joining the challenge and sharing my weekly progress with others, it kept me motivated to achieve the weekly goals that I set for myself.

Dr. Oz has a comprehensive, eleven-week challenge, called  “Move It and Lose It” that he just started and has made available to anyone who wants to join in. He has a team of nutrition and fitness experts who are going to be answering questions and sharing tips on how to stay motivated to help you meet your goals.

photo credit: angietorres

Whatever your goals may be for the upcoming year, here are a few tips that have helped me in the past that might help you stick to your plan.

• First and foremost, WRITE IT DOWN! (Until you write it down, it's just a passing thought and you haven't really committed.)

• Break it down into baby steps. (If you want to obtain something by year end, break it down monthly, weekly and even daily, so it's more manageable and the end result seems easier to obtain.)

• Visualize. Make a visualization board. Experts will tell you that if you can visualize it, it's more likely to become a reality. (I'm starting a new one for 2011.)

• Journal. If you've got some weight-loss goals, and a new exercise routine you want to stick to, start logging your workouts and what you eat each day. Last year I bought the fitbook: fitness + nutrition journal.  (I loved this little journal and have already started using it again. I kept it up daily and I know it helped me reach my goal in 2010.)

Whatever you happen to have on your ‘life list' for 2011, I hope some of these tips help you stick to your plan!

We wish you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous 2011!

~LilSis

January 2, 2011

I talked about our Southern Tradition for New Year's a couple of years ago, and without fail, this is what we have every year. Sometimes we have it at midnight on New Year's Eve to welcome in the New Year, sometimes it's New Year's Day lunch and sometimes it's both! This year it's going to be both!

Good Luck Black-eyed Peas

Yesterday, we had three hungry sailors here with us for New Year's Dinner, so there was no time for photos once the dinner was ready. This plate was actually my dinner plate from two years ago, but it's the exact same thing we had yesterday and will continue to have every New Year's Day.

New Year's Day Dinner

Our peas were gone in record time because I was feeding five hungry men and I don't really feel like I ate a sufficient amount for the amount of good luck I need in 2011.

So… I'm running to the store for more peas to have for lunch today. I'll be counting them to assure that I eat 365 peas! One pea for each day of the year! (It's a little obsessive, I know…but you can't mess with tradition.)

Here's to 2011 being a year filled with good luck and prosperity. 🙂

~LilSis

January 1, 2011

We wish you all a happy & healthy 2011!

~LilSis

December 31, 2010

Happy new year!  LilSis and I love making appetizers, and there is no better opportunity for snack-crafting than New Years Eve and New Years Day!  My old Stuffed Mushrooms Italian recipe is a family favorite, and everyone loves it.  However, it's stuffed with meat and cheese so I haven't made it since I stopped eating critters almost 17 years ago.  It's time to veganize this baby!

This is a pretty easy recipe to veganize; I just substituted Tofutti cream cheese for dairy cream cheese, and sausage-style seitan for the pork sausage.  I think it came out pretty well, but I want to keep tweaking this recipe to see if I can elevate it from “delicious” to “ding dang awesome”!

Stuffed Mushrooms Italian Veganized

1 small shallot, minced
1 pkg Upton Naturals Italian Sausage Style Seitan
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
1/2 cup Daiya Mozzarella
4 ounces Tofutti Cream Cheese (1/2 tub)
Olive oil
Seasonings to taste: Italian Seasoning, salt, pepper, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, garlic powder
18 to 24 large mushrooms (depending on their size)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute shallot in a small amount of olive oil until softened.  Add seitan and sautee over medium low heat just until heated through; breaking it up with a fork.  When hot, add in the cream cheese and combine well.  Add the Daiya, breadcrumbs and seasonings.  Set aside while you prep the mushrooms.

Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel.  Rub with a bit of olive oil to keep them from drying out during baking.  Stuff with a generous amount of filling and bake until hot throughout.

Notes:

• I think I could reduce the amount of breadcrumbs, and perhaps eliminate them altogether since the dairy-free cheeses might bind the mixture together just fine.

• The filling is nice and creamy before it's baked, but the dairy-free cheeses tend to break down a bit and get less creamy as they're baked.  I'd like to try pre-cooking the mushrooms on the stove top or in the oven, and then add the filling so it cooks for less time.  I definitely want the mushrooms to be completely cooked since raw mushrooms have been found to be carcinogenic.

• This basic recipe is very customizable.  I can see adding chopped artichokes and black olives to the sausage for a tasty variation.

Happy new year, everyone!  Don't forget to have your blackeyed peas for luck and greens for prosperity.  Add a steamy pan of fresh cornbread and these mushrooms, and you have a delicous start to 2011!

~BigSis

December 29, 2010

I wasn't quite as productive as BigSis on the day after Christmas, but I did manage to clean up the last of the aftermath from a huge party on Thursday, sort through all the wads of gift wrap, gifts bags, and boxes strewn all over the living room floor from Christmas Eve night, and finish up the remaining leftover dirty dishes from Christmas Dinner.

I figured that was enough for one day, so I did nothing really productive for the rest of the day, except for beating the guys in a couple of games of Wii bowling. (They can't stand the fact that I still hold the record for best game!) 🙂

No one has yet to beat my 289!

Here”s my lil Mii, the Pro.

And, I can't wrap up Christmas without sharing a couple of Santa Hat shots!

My Santa Guys! (Aren't they cute?)

We all know how much TomTom LOVES sporting a Santa Hat!

So, now that Christmas is behind us and the New Year is fast approaching, I've spent some time the past couple of days reflecting on what all has happened and changed for us during this year. Like a lot of people, 2010 was a tough year for us so I'm looking forward to saying goodbye to 2010 and welcoming 2011! I'll be back in a few days to officially wrap up the year.

~LilSis

December 27, 2010

Can you believe that Christmas 2010 is behind us?  As always, it snuck up on us and then became history in the blink of Santa's eye, didn't it?

So what did you do the day after Christmas?  Here's what I did:

Used the Amazon gift cards I got for Christmas. I got a pink (of course) Cuisinart 7-speed hand mixer and 6 books. Yes, Amazon cards DO burn a hole in my pocket!

• Cuisinart CHM-7PK PowerSelect 7-Speed Hand Blender, Pink

• The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life: Cruelty-Free Crafts, Recipes, Beauty Secrets and More

• Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

• Scatter Vegan Sweets

• Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow's Milk and Your Health

• Good News for All Creation: Vegetarianism as Christian Stewardship

• The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur: Over 140 Simply Delicious Recipes That Treat the Eyes and Taste Buds

Ordered Beachbody's Brazil Butt Lift. My plan is to integrate this different workout in with the second round of P90X that I'm about to start.  Confused muscles are happy muscles!

Balanced my checkbook (boo!)

Went crazy on the furkids with the FURminator deShedding Tool and cleaned their recent barfage from my carpet with the magic carpet cleaning potion

Did a boatload of laundry using my new favorite laundry detergent: Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent Free & Clear.  Adios, Tide!  Let me know when you stop animal testing and maybe I'll consider coming back to you.  Til then…

Chose the Franklin Covey planner refill that I want for 2011: Blooms Monthly Tabs

Packed up all of the 2010 SPCA Bake Sale materials for next year. Our total so far for this year's sale is close to $3,400.

And last but not least, I roasted up a big pile of Brussels Sprouts to try to counteract all of the chips, lemon bars and pasta salad I've eaten in the last couple of days!

Just slice them up, and then toss with a touch of olive oil, garlic powder and lemon pepper.

Roast at 450 degrees for around 30 minutes or until crispy.

So that was my day.  Did you feel a fire lit under you to get things organized and ready for the new year, as I did?

~BigSis

December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas! God bless us every one!

~BigSis

December 23, 2010

For many years, our kids would wait, with much anticipation, for the tin of Grandma's cookies to arrive in the mail right before Christmas. Without fail, every year, until she wasn't able to do it anymore, my mother-in-law would mail a gorgeous tin full of a beautiful assortment of homemade Christmas cookies to each of the grand-kids.

Everyone had their favorite, so if you wanted one in our household, you had to be quick! One year, our beloved, SarahGirl (1/2 Lab & 1/2 Great Dane) decided that she wasn't going to wait for her cookie. The tin arrived as we were dashing out the door one day, so we quickly put it under the tree, not even thinking that the dog could possibly get into it since it was taped shut.

Yet, when we arrived home, we found that SarahGirl had somehow managed to remove the tape, open the tin and devour every single, ding, dang, last cookie!  (Shhhh… we never could bring ourselves to tell Grandma about the incident.)

Her Snowballs were always my favorite!

My Mother-in-law gave me this beautiful Fitz & Floyd Santa Plate about 15 years ago and ever since then, it's been the plate we've used to leave cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve night.

Tonight, I'll be serving the Snowballs on it for a Christmas get-together we're having with a few friends.

Snowballs

1/2 lb. butter, at room temperature
2 c. flour
1 c. chopped pecans
1 t. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the butter into small pieces, place in a large mixing bowl and gradually add the flour, the pecans, then the vanilla, combining all with your hands.

Form the dough into walnut size balls and place on a cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, just until the bottoms are slightly brown.  Let cool for 5  minutes, then roll in the powdered sugar. Once completely cool, dust again with powdered sugar.

(Before I made these, I did a little browsing online and I did find quite a few variations of this recipe. Some have salt, sugar and even eggs in the dough but I decided to stick to my mother-in-law's recipe.)

The good news is that when my hubby tried one, he said they were perfect and tasted just like his Mom's. In my house, that's the best compliment I can receive. 🙂

~LilSis