Labor Day Catch-Up

I love three-day weekends! Even though I don’t have a job right now, Tony does, and he works long hours. So it’s really nice to have him around for three days in a row and be able to do stuff as a family. Still I wanted to pop in and do a quick post, before I get a backlog of food pics. Here’s what I’ve been up to in the kitchen over this Labor Day weekend:

First, veganized oatmeal pies from Peas and Thank You. I made a special trip to buy Ricemellow Crème the same day I saw this recipe -- that’s how excited I was about it! I wondered if my tiny local health food store carried the stuff, and wouldn’t you know it, I got the only tub they had in stock! It was meant to be!

Aren’t they adorable?

I couldn’t wait for Tony to get home from work on Friday so I could surprise him with these treats. He was just talking about his love for oatmeal pies as a child, but now he considers them “off limits” because they’re so unhealthy. I know the vegan version isn’t exactly fat-free, but it’s healthy enough that devoured the whole plateful in a few days, guilt-free!

Next up, chocolate chip pancakes, recipe from Urban Vegan. These were a special weekend breakfast treat for Jackson.

Saturday lunch was avocado sushi. I had some nori sheets and sushi rice that had been sitting in the cupboard forever, so I made some quick rolls. I wished I had some pickled ginger and wasabi, but they were fine with soy sauce with a little sriracha mixed in.

Sunday morning, Olivia got me up at 6:30. Even though I was kind of a zombie, I still managed to get some oven-dried tomatoes going. I sliced several roma tomatoes and tossed them with a little olive oil and salt, and roasted them at 250 degrees for about three hours until they were nice and chewy. The tomato flavor becomes so concentrated and intense. And it's much cheaper than buying sun-dried tomatoes. I can’t wait to put these on a pizza!

Finally, a lovely tray of dog food.

Ha, just kidding, it’s an apple crisp. I don’t know how to make this sort of thing look appetizing in a photo, but trust me, it tastes way better than it looks! We went to a pick-your-own orchard and came home with a giant bag of apples. I still have a lot left!

Applesauce, apple bread, apple butter…I think they are all in my future. But I had to start with a crisp. It’s one of my favorite things to make. I don’t really follow a recipe. I peeled and sliced six apples, dumped them in the baking pan, and sprinkled a little lemon juice on them. I had a few walnuts in my freezer so I threw those in, too. Then I combined oats, flour, brown sugar, butter and a little salt, stirring it together with my fingers until it achieved a coarse crumbly texture. Then I baked it for about 30 minutes at 375. After a busy day, it's nice to space out and relax while peeling and chopping all those apples (just watch those fingers, ha!), and it makes the house smell SOOOOO amazing.

Hope you've enjoyed your weekend!