Dogblogging by DocDufresne

Since Amanda has been slacking hard and is not going to be posting until after Thanksgiving...enjoy this post.

Edit: I should mention that this is Conqi. He, Stay Puffed, and Unnamed Puppy #732 were at Buzzy's last Saturday for a Cares4Pets adoption event. More photos here.

A Lovely Fall Weekend

Cares4Pets is putting together a 2011 calender filled with adoption success stories along with photos of the happy families. I've been assigned the task of photographer and this past weekend I got started with two delightful women and their pups.

DocDufresne, my dutiful assistant, and I met up with Sandra and her lovely lab/pointer mix, Montana in Clark Park. Montana is a senior lady and was rescued from a breeding operation where she was going to be put down due to the fact that she wasn't producing litters any more. She's adorable and very sweet. She also clearly loves Sandra dearly. Here are some of my favorite photos from the session. After our session in Clark Park, DocDufresne and I took a lovely walk to Woodlands Cemetery, which is a great spot where we spent some time when DocDufresne lived in the neighborhood. There we met up with Beth and her cutie pie, Gizmo, who was rescued from running across a busy street. One of our photo spots was commandeered by some sort of amateur film crew that was shooting footage of a small metal bird cage... Clearly it was a good spot. Luckily, I'm really happy with several of the photos that were taken with a lovely honey locust in the background.

Earlier that day I worked with a great group of volunteers. We rescued native tulip poplars, sweet gum, sweet birch, white pine, and read oaks from a meadow that will be mowed in the spring. It was such a lovely weekend.

VEGANMOFO 2009: Favorite Vegans Tribute V

Well, in two hours, Vegan MoFo 2009 officially draws to a close. It's been a fun furry of food-making. I felt oddly guilty when, occasionally, I wasn't able to get a post up like I was supposed to. Being forced to make more food than usual meant that coworkers and friends got a lot of free vegan food during the month. Okay, I wasn't really forced. I enjoyed playing with new ingredients and recipes. I also LOVED reading others' posts, and look forward to continuing to do so. A great thing about MoFo was that I was exposed to some great new blogs. The downside, of course, is that I'll now be spending even more time on the computer.

My last MoFo post:

A and J are two more awesome animal lovers that I met in Gainesville. This dynamic duo went vegan together and do many great things for animals. There were AR meetings, potlucks, volunteer events, VegFest, and other events. My fondest memory of J is volunteering at Rooterville Pig Sanctuary in Alachua, FL together. I really miss that place and the great people behind it! J even interned for Rooterville.A is super awesome as well. This past February I got the chance to hang out with her and T-Cat for a weekend in D.C. We had a lot of fun and the experience made me wish even more that we had spent more time together when we both lived in Gainesville.In honor of the awesome vegan that is J, I decided to make "Pigs Are Safe in the Barn," a simple vegweb favorite. I even decorated the plate with ketchup and mustard designs, including a barn, and sauerkraut hay. (I have to admit that DocDufresne actually made the little piggies!) We also had a simple steamed yam/beet/turnip dish with garlic/lemon sauce (not pictured).In honor of A, I decided to make cinnamon rolls, as I can barely think of cinnamon rolls without thinking of our multiple trips to Sticky Fingers in February. These were from Vegan Brunch. I brought them to the Cares4Pets adoption event today, where we had hoped someone would fall in love with Henry. It remains to be determined if this actually happened. Fingers crossed. The cinnamon rolls were enjoyed. (Even though I didn't let them rise either of the times they were suppsed to rise!- Hey, I was in a rush!)

Can't wait to see you next month, A and J!

VEGANMOFO 2009: Favorite Vegans Tribute IV

The Vegan Tribute week continues. Tonight's featured vegan is DocDufresne. DocDufresne is a lover of simplicity. He is also on a nutrition kick. Sorry, I have just been informed that it is not a "kick", it's a "lifestyle." Another thing that DocDufresne loves is the beet, which he had for the first time when he came to visit me...for the first time...in Florida three years ago. In honor of DocDufresne, I've put together a healthy, delicious, and simple meal, with the lovey-dovey element of hearts (that could also be festive for Halloween...) thrown in.

Steamed Heart-Shaped Turnips and Beets in a lemon garlic sauce, Atop Millet

Lentil Soup with Kale, Carrots, Potatoes, Onion, and Tomatoes (and other stuff)

Oolong Tea (DocDufresne's favorite), served in the cups and tea pot I purchased on Etsy as an anniversary gift for Doc.I love that the cooler weather is here and we can now have tea ALL the time!!

VEGANMOFO 2009: Dinner at Bacio

Last night DocDufresne and I attended a Meetup dinner at Bacio Italian Restaurante in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. We thought the occasion provided a worthy break from the Vegan Tribute week. The photos below are most of what was ordered by the five people that attended. We ordered a lot, but not that much!

Eggplant RolatiniThis looked so good. I'll have to try it next time!

Pasta e FagioliI order this every time. It's simple and delicious.

Caprese salad (with marinated tofu instead of mozzarella)This was very tasty. As I remember, mozzarella doesn't have that much flavor. The marinated tofu definitely worked as a replacement. This is a dish I've been meaning to make myself, so I'm even more motivated to do so now.

Beet saladThis is another one that we haven't ordered before, despite our love of beets. I think we've opted not to order this because we eat beets so much and figured it was pretty similar to what we make at home. I'm having second thoughts. This looked good.

LasagnaJay made the lasagna special for our group. It was de-lish! I'm so glad we got a chance to try it. Thanks, Jay!

"Meat" balls

These "meat" balls were another special item offered for the night. They were really yummy, filled with red pepper and other veggies. They were a bit soft, but I don't know that this was a bad thing.

RavioliYum! The ravioli changes each time. Tonight it was quite large and filled with a cheesy mixture.

CanoliThese expensive little bugges ($3 each) are quite delicious too.

VEGANMOFO 2009: Favorite Vegans Tribute III

Ladybeth is the victim of my third Vegan Tribute this week. It's also her birthday tomorrow! Happy birthday, Ladybeth!

Since I began my adventure into veganism, Ladybeth has served as more than a good friend. Having made the decision to become vegan before she was even a teenager, Ladybeth has been a mentor to many individuals like me. I've been known to call her while out shopping to ask about an obscure ingredient in some cosmetic or article of clothing. Ever helpful and never condescending, Ladybeth is an approachable animal rights activist that has led to great change in the movement. Enough about that!

Ladybeth is also so much fun to hang out with, and in school, Ladybeth, Shivels, T-Cat, and I were great friends! I'm still awestruck that we were able to meet in Gainesville and have so much in common. The four of us now live in different parts of the country, but we see each other here and there and will get to share VEGAN THANKSGIVING next month- I know, I know, I've already mentioned that A LOT!

I heart Ladybeth's taste buds. When we go out to eat, the two of us usually are deciding between the same two dishes and each end up getting one of each to share (as long as the dish doesn't have tomatoes or arugula for her!) When it comes to cooking, Ladybeth is a pro. No recipes needed for her. The first dish I'm serving up today in honor of Ladybeth is one that she created for a dinner that she hosted just before she graduated. This is a massaged kale salad with avocado, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and pomegranate jewels.Secondly I've created a tempeh Reuben sandwich, a menu pick that you can bet she'll order when she sees it. I opted for the mustard version of this sandwich, but also added a light slathering of Vegenaise in addition to the sauerkraut and fresh red cabbage. I took a cue from Isa's recipe for the sausage puffs in Vegan Brunch and marinated the tempeh and then baked it. I made it very peppery and it was almost reminiscent of pastrami. Very good.

Until tomorrow, adieu, Ladybeth!

VEGANMOFO 2009: Favorite Vegans Tribute II

It's Day Two of my Favorite Vegans Tribute. Today's featured vegan is my good friend, Shivels (although she detests that name). Shivels and I became fast friends after I joined the animal activist group on our school's campus. She means so much to me. I'll never forget the determination she exhibited by voting multiple times daily for a contest that DocDufresne and I were trying to win to pay for our green wedding. Speaking of our wedding, Shivels was our AMAZING officiant! We shared many a Krishna lunch, dined together at many a potluck, and traveled together on many a road trip. (Shivels even helped move me up to Philly from Florida!) She's perhaps the most fun of my friends and it's practically impossible not to have a great time in Shivels' company.Sticky Fingers last summer on the way up to Philly from Gainesville. T-Cat is poking her face into the photo as well!

Shivels played a part in my transformation into becoming a vegan. I remember the day well, although I need tomorrow's featured vegan to remember the date of my veganiversary! A little over three years ago, Shivels and I, along with a few other people, ate at Garden Cafe in Orlando. This dish reminds me of that day and other **very memorable** meals we shared at Chopstix in Gainesville. Here's my attempt at General Tso's tofu with broccoli and shiitake mushrooms.When I was brainstorming ideas for Shivels' tribute, I kept thinking of sweets. Strawberry shortcake cupcakes (turned cake) made for my 21st birthday, chocolate chip cookies (Shivels' equivalent of my grilled cheese- her irrisistable favorite), and fudge. I went with the latter and used the Melt in Your Mouth Fudge from Sinfully Vegan. I love this book. All the recipes I've made from it have been great, and the fudge was no exception. I topped the fudge with pecan halves. I think I did you proud, Shivels.Along with T-Cat (and a few others to be featured this week), I get to see Shivels next month for our VEGAN THANKSGIVING IN SEATTLE! Can you tell I'm excited?On our way to Asheville, NC.