Classic Coffee Cake

I guess I established myself as a lover of those sugary, fatty treats at Starbucks a few posts ago, but truly, life without coffee cake stinks.  I should say, life without being able to eat any kind of coffee cake out of the Starbucks pastry case stinks.

Falafel- A Vegan Staple

My husband is not vegan.  I am.  This works out just fine, because he is an "at-home" vegan, meaning that when he is home, he eats the foods that I eat, because we currently purchase almost exclusively vegan foods for our home.  I say "almost," because he did bring home yogurt covered raisins on our last trip, but he ate most the bag on the car ride home.  Typical.

But even before I had switched over to a vegetarian diet, he was eating a vegan lunch almost daily without meaning to.  When he worked in Philadelphia, he was addicted to pita's brimming with falafel and hummus at Mama's and would eat lunch there almost every day.  When I would ride into the city to see the art museum while he was at work, we would go here every time.

The other day, Mike said to me, "it's too bad you are working tonight, or we could ride into the city and have falafel."  Yes, he like the falafel that much.  So when I agreed to make a batch before going to work (having never tried before), I was in for a pretty big challenge.  I was going to be compared to the world's best falafel.

Iced Lemon Pound Cake

Fresh Spices Make All the Difference

I know. . .

We've all heard that using fresh herbs and grinding your own spices makes a huge difference in cooking.  We can add that to the list of advice that tells you organic makes a difference or fresh is always better than frozen or canned.

On to the Easter Entree

So while families everywhere were enjoying their lambs and hams in celebration of eternal life (because somehow we, as a culture, have equated slaughter with celebrations of life), I was at home debating what to make for dinner.

I'm a big fan of pasta, which has served me well in my new ethical walk of life, but I've grown tired of reading the sides of pasta boxes and trying to avoid eggs.  And, if we're being honest, one might be sustained by boxed pasta and red sauce, but one will never be nourished (physically or emotionally).

Enter Sweet Potato-Parsnip Ravioli with Shiitake Cream sauce!

Happy Ethical Easter!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday celebrations (or lack thereof).  I wound up on the latter end, as Michael and I are far from religious (at least not organized) and he spent most of the day studying for his final exams.

So I spent most of the day home alone in my kitchen.  Please, send me no pity, for I am much happier on these alone in my kitchen days than I generally am at large gatherings.  And, besides, if I did not have the day alone in my kitchen, I wouldn't have such a delicious offering to share with you!