More Isa Does It and the Zoo

I can't stop cooking from Isa Moskowitz's new Isa Does It cookbook! Everything has been a winner so far.

Carrot Cake Pancakes. These are really thick, puffy pancakes. So good.

Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff. The cashew cream sauce is so creamy and thick. Total comfort food.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Penne with Broccoli. I used rotini (because I accidentally used up the penne in the stroganoff.) Sorry for the crappy pic -- I think I left the flash on. This was a big hit with my broccoli-loving children (although they picked out the onions.)

Olive Angel Hair with Seared Brussels Sprouts. This wasn't a hit with Jackson and Olivia, but I freaking loved it. I used 16 oz. of brussels instead of 8 oz., because brussels = awesome.

Finally, Acorn Squash Risotto with Cranberries. It doesn't get any more autumnal than this, folks.

Today we visited the zoo (which is actually an animal sanctuary) with my friend Carey and her son. Feeding the animals is the kids' favorite part, so we did that first.

Jackson was a little timid about letting the deer lick food out of his hand. "It tickles!"

The llama was acting a little funny, stamping his foot and grinning at us. We were afraid he was going to spit at us. It turned out he was just jealous that the deer was getting more food than him.

When we were eating lunch, Olivia was nervously guarding her sandwich from a peacock who was lurking around her feet. "Don't worry, honey, it's not going to jump up on the table," I said. And then this happened. Shows how much I know!

A nice time with our animal friends.