Meatless Dish: Black Pepper Tofu and Green Beans

So in my quest to lower my cholesterol I have been searching for yummy recipes that don't have meat or cheese in them.  I don't mind having tofu in a dish, but I don't like to pretend it's meat.  I remember when I was a child almost being fooled that Tofu was eggs, but whenever you bite into something expecting the taste of something else it's always disappointing.  Why not just call it what it is?  Don't try and pretend that the tofu is a burger... because it'll never taste the same. 

So this leaves a whole world of cultural foods to try because they seem to be more up front about calling it what it is. We've tried different Thai, Indian, Chinese recipes and often times they are quite delicious. 

My sister in law was going through Sunset magazine and thought of me when she saw a whole section on tofu.  She ripped out the pages and they've been sitting waiting for me to try.  I recently cooked one of them up and was quite suprised by how good it tasted. 

Black Pepper Tofu and Green Beans

I think it will definately go into our regular rotation.  It had a very nice kick to it, and the way you cook up the tofu leads to a nice texture.  Not soggy at all, and a very nice flavor.  The tofu was browned with brown sugar and then the whole dish flavored with a black pepper mix.. a little sweet with the hot.  Quite good... I recommend you give it a try!

Card Series - Post 8: Texture

Here is this week's round of cards.  I love when people give me unique types of papers and stickers.  Sometimes they give me items that I may not have picked out myself but work great.  Having different textures, colors, and patterns can give the card a whole new dimension.  It's fun to experiment and see what I can come up with!



Thanks



Thanks



Birthday - Brother - 30th



Sympathy



Wedding

Stay tuned for next week's episode. :)

Mommy Musings: Thankful

I have struggled with being a stay at home mom.  There are days I think I just might go crazy. There are days that I long for a job and adult conversation.  Today was not one of those days.   Today I sat and held my sick baby girl as she slept. As I sat there, I felt appreciative of the fact that I had no where I had to be, no deadlines to meet, and no timetable to follow. Sure, I had things that needed to get done, but it could all wait until later.  I could hold her for as long as she needed. I felt really thankful that I get this chance to stay at home and take care of her. 

What moments make you thankful about your life?

Dolls for Fiji

So some of my personal projects have been put on hold because we are making a TON of dolls to send to Fiji this summer.  Even though they are going in August, the church is trying to ship as much as they can ahead of time so we were working hard to get them done by this week.   I think we may continue to work on them up until they go, but it will be at a more lesuriely pace as whatever we finish will have to be packed into people's suitcases. 

Here is a bunch that I finished today during my girl's nap time. 

Below is a shot of all the finished ones as of this morning - With a close up shot of all the dolls and their cute personalities. 



Aren't they just so cute?  Wouldn't you want to just cuddle them if you were a little kid?

So do you want to know how to make your own cute handmade doll?

Card Series - Post 7: Inspiration

Whenever I make a card for someone, I always try to make it personally for them.  I try to think of their favorite color or something that reminds me of them.  I use that as my jumping off point and then match different colors, patterns, and stickers until I get the right combination.  I then cut things out and put it together.  Sometimes I'm in the middle and decide the card doesn't look right and I have to redo everything I just did.  Often times that happens when I picture an idea in my head and it doesn't materialize the way I visualize it. 




Birthday



Thanks - Friendship



Birthday - Dad



Birthday - Female



Thanks

What do you use as your inspiration for your crafts?