I really just like to snack

It's has been awhile since my last entry, I have lots of reasons / excuses but...... whatever, right? On with the blog:
I had a hankering for Chex mix. It is something that I have not had in along time but I was craving something savory and snackable. I used this recipe. Now, with most of my hankerings they are spontaneous, so I didn't have all the ingredients that I needed. I improvised a little. I used Cascadian Farms Multi-grain square cereal, cashews, peanuts, almonds, pecans and sesame sticks (the sesame sticks turned out gummy, I would not use them again) and all the required spices.
I had to make my own worcestershire sauce since this is not something I have on hand regularly. I wasn't about to go to the store, which is twenty minutes away, just to pick some up. I basically had all the ingredients although I used wet mustard, fresh ginger and liquid aminos instead of soy sauce. Also, I added a tablespoon of peanut butter, just for fun. It turned out tasty although the apple cider vinegar was insanely dominant. Next time I will use less vinegar and use real soy sauce. End result....AWESOME. The ginger in the w-sauce really gave it nice kick in the back of the throat with out being spicy. Next time I will make more, I made half the recipe just in case it was a stinker.

Olivia Newton John was singing about these cookies

I made vegan magic bars this weekend from this recipe. They turned out awesome except I had to make a couple alterations that did affect the texture of the cookies. My local HEB did not have extra firm tofu or vegan graham crackers so I used firm tofu and original Puffins cereal. They tasted so good but were a bit soft. I'll go on a hunt to find the correct ingredients and make them again, they are that good!

The latest on the job search

I had two new interviews this week. One was really close to where I live but the job is...just a job, not my ideal. The other one is about an hour from me but seems exciting, and more of a career. It is something I could really grow into and has real growth opportunities. The problems are as I already mentioned it is an hour away and the pay is just a little more than the one closer to me. We will see. These were only the first in-person interviews. If they like me, they will call me back for a second and possibly a third. Stay tuned......

Vegan Sunday - Choco overload

I went to the Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti relief this Sunday. I got some great goodies and donated $20 bucks. Not a huge donation but I'm still unemployed so I can only do as much as I can do. I heard they made over $700 dollars, awesome! I picked up a donut, 2 cupcakes, a brownie type thing and a magic bar. Good stuff!

Just before we went to the bake sale we walked over to Hotel Saint Cecelia which is about 2 blocks away from from Ten Thousand Villages, where the sale was taking place, to pick up some vegan lip balm. I read about it on the very active message board Makeup alley. HSC is such a cool place, my husband and I wandered the grounds and took a few pictures by the pool.

After the bake sale we went to Wheatsville so I could pick up some popcorn tofu and a few other items. They were doing a chocolate demo from Theo chocolate. Good God, great stuff, the mint was my favorite but by the time we left I had hit chocolate overload times ten. We came home and my husband took a nap...nice day :-)

It has been a rough week, we had to put down one of our kitties. Honestly, I think this is going to be a rough year for us and our kitties. I have a cat that is 20 years old, she is doing well but 20 is pretty old for cats and my male cat(the one in the avatar) has been diagnosed with an enlarged heart, extremely large. In fact, the specialist said that she has never seen a heart that large. She gave him three to six month. I am extrememly positive it will be longer because I know my kitty and his demeanor but still, it is a ticking time bomb. It is devistating and heart breaking, I can't believe my little Claire is gone. She was so sweet and incredibly lovable. I have so many memories that make me smile. I miss you so much :-(

I'm no Giada De Laurentiis

Inspired by the Food Network show "The best thing I ever ate" (you will not find deep fried bacon on my list)
Here are some of my favorites:

• Chicken Run Ranch burger at Native Foods in Ca
• Athens Fries at Mediterranean Cafe in Las Vegas, NV
• Mayan mocha at the now defunct Dhaba Joy
• Popcorn tofu po'boys at Wheatsville
• Samosas at Clay Pit

Vegan granola bars

About a week or two ago I was watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. Ina made granola bars and I have not been able to stop thinking about them. A couple days ago, I took her recipe and veganized it. It worked out pretty well although I would make a change on the next go around:

I substituted butter for Earth Balance - which worked out well. I did not add all the dried fruit that her recipe calls for, I only added raisins plus chocolate chips and a bigger variety of nuts. I also subbed the honey with equal parts dark maple syrup, agave nectar and almond butter - that is what I'd change. The next time I would leave out the almond butter. It seemed to change the viscosity of the caramel and when you bit into the bars, they were crumbly. Other than that they looked good, tasted good and I was super happy to have satisfied my craving.