...

I may not be around for a while.

Something came up that is completely changing my life... and I don't know what to do. Sorry I can't elaborate more out here on the world wide web. Every one of you and your blogs mean so much to me, and I'm glad to know you and call you friends.

I don't know when I will be back. Hopefully sometime soon. Until then, please don't forget me.

Happy holidays.

This makes me sad

I wish I was not so out of the loop sometimes. I just learned last night that Ted Hafer, owner of The Grit vegetarian restaurant in Athens, committed suicide a couple of weeks ago. This news gave me quite a shock. He jumped off the top of the downtown parking deck... a place I know. I can visualize the view from the top of the parking deck--he was looking out over classic, beautiful, stays-with-you-forever Athens. I can imagine what the weather may have been like up there on a morning in November--cool, crisp, breezy... but I cannot understand what horrible things must have gone through his mind at that moment and led him to jump.

I never knew this man, but I knew his name and I loved his restaurant. He and his wife co-wrote one of my favorite cookbooks. He was a special part of Athens... and he was a husband and a father of two.

Here's the obituary that was published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I don't know what else I can say. Why do these things happen?

Staying healthy and happy

It's getting to be that time of year when that blah feeling can start to sneak up on you--well, on me, anyway. This week has been like that for me, in part because I've felt a bit under the weather and in part because of coming back from such a lovely vacation.

Bob and I had a fun trip to Disney World in Orlando, and a marvelous visit with my sister and her fiancé. Here are some highlights of the trip:


Me and Bob, and a lovely twilight at Epcot.


Me and Ashton getting in to mischief in Norway...


And four happy people having a great time.


It's so easy to survive as a vegan there... Take, for example, this roasted veggie pizza that Bob and I shared for our Thanksgiving dinner at Downtown Disney.


And this bowl of vegan chili with a hummus sandwich that we scored at the Magic Kingdom. There is even an ice cream shop that serves vegan ice cream... though we didn't find it until after we had already shared a frozen lemonade, and we did not really need a second frozen treat in one day. We also found veggie burgers at the Magic Kingdom, and roasted veggie wraps and bean burritos with guacamole at Epcot.

Here are some of the things we've been eating since we got back.

Simple dinners:


Steamed edamame with coarse sea salt flakes.


Hummus.


This baked tofu sandwich was pretty good. I just mixed up a marinade of tamari, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, liquid smoke, onion powder, and garlic powder, and I baked the tofu in the marinade until it was all soaked up.

As I said, I've felt a bit under the weather this week. Nothing is a better answer to that than hot, nutritious soup.


This big bowl of quick miso soup with spinach and mushrooms was just what I needed yesterday afternoon.


And this Tofu Noodle Soup from Vegetarian Soups and Stews for All Seasons, using the leftover baked tofu, was also a wonderfully comforting meal.

So I've been focusing on food that will help us stay healthy... though sometimes you just need a treat.


Like these Brooklyn vs. Boston Cream Pie Cakes from VCTOTW. I made them as a surprise for Bob one night. He was wowed by the dark ganache topping...


And he was taken completely by surprise with the creamy center! These cupcakes were so good, but as Isa suggests in the book, they're definitely better after being refrigerated overnight.

It's December, which means the holiday season is upon us. For some reason, I am not feeling particularly festive this year, at least not yet. That's okay. I have a project up my sleeve that may help with that. But for now, I wish you health and happiness and peace in your own lives... and I'll be around your blogs soon. I promise. Cheers!