Fun Stuff I Got For My Birthday!

First on the list, to enhance my Dragon Age: Origins gameplay, I got the two downloadable content packages: Warden's Keep and Return to Ostagar.  I've played the game for about 76 hours so far.  I'm definitely one of those completionist types who explores every little detail of everything.  Since I'm about 2 major quests from the end, it's nice to have something extra to do.  Then it's on to the expansion pack in March :)  After that, Mass Effect, here I come!

 

When I'm not gaming, I should probably do some working out on my own in addition to the Tae Kwon Do.  I have the original Core Performance book which is really awesome.  Now I've got the Women's edition to round it out.  Mark Verstegen's program is really great and I highly recommend it to anyone at any fitness level.  He concentrates on working your core muscles and using multi-joint exercises (which more resemble everyday life movement than single-joint exercises most people usually do).  He also incorporates active stretching and active resting.  Very sound program and great for getting in shape.


Then there's these lovely gems.  Cookbooks for bread, bento and yummy vegetarian meals!  I can't wait to try stuff out of all of these.  I'm so excited!

The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook 

 

The Conscious Cook

(As opposed to the Unconscious Cook or the Comatose Cook.  Both sure to come out soon.)

And my favorite one so far!!!!

Kawaii Bento Boxes

("Kawaii" means "cute" and "Bento" means "Lunchbox" in Japanese)

Last but not least, I got a nice little political humor book by H.L. Mencken titled Notes on Democracy.  The back of the book reads:

Wars for "freedom."  Fundamentalists intent on banishing Darwin from the classroom.  Intrusive laws.  H.L. Mencken wrote Notes on Democracy over 80 years ago.  His era, the years of World War I, Prohibition and the Scopes Trial, is strikingly like today.  Dissident Books reintroduces this gem of cynicism and clear-thinking to a new generation.  Don't even think about voting until you read this book!

What's Cookin': Breads and Snacks!

Even though I haven't been posting recipes lately, I've definitely still been making them!  I have several delicious recipes to share with you today.  Plus more to come tomorrow :)


First on the list are two snack recipes: No-Bake Almond-Oat Energy Bites and Chewy Granola Bars.  I made these to have something handy around the house I could eat between meals.  Both these recipes are also great for wrapping up and carrying on-the-go in case you get hungry when you're out and about.  They are both from vegetariantimes.com, are super easy to make, and incorporate delicious earthy-tasting almond butter.  While they are high in calories for a serving size, they're definitely very tasty and filling, making them the perfect between-meals snack.  The only drawback to the energy bites is the necessity for a grinder or food processor.  Neither are vegan or gluten-free, but I'm sure substitutions could be made.  I give both recipes 4 stars.


Next on the list are several breads.  All were very easy to make and delicious! I found this Pita Bread recipe on Food Network's website and I liked it so much, I've made it twice in the last 2 weeks.  It takes several hours, but all the steps are really easy.  I was skeptical about the pitas "ballooning" but sure enough, they did!  It was awesome to see and it has to be the best pita bread I've ever tasted in my life.  I will never buy pita at the store again.  Definitely 5-stars!

I planned a dinner party to celebrate Imbolc and decided on this recipe for Honey Wheat Braided Bread to use during the dinner.  I had a lot of fun making this bread because you get to actually braid it!  While the recipe called for the braided loaves to be wrapped around themselves, I thought they looked great flat.  I also only had black sesame seeds on hand instead of regular ones, but I have to say, I think the finished bread looks marvelous with the black ones.

We've been making homemade pizza for awhile now.  Usually, we buy pre-made pizza dough already rolled out and ready to decorate.  But we decided to seek out a whole-wheat dough option we could make in the bread maker.  I searched the nets and found Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Whole Wheat Flour.  Very easy to make, just dump the ingredients in your bread machine, push the dough cycle, and 2 hours later, you're ready to make yummy pizza!  We opted for cheese pizza with garlic tomato sauce.  The crust came out crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center.  Just perfect :)


No-Bake Almond-Oat Energy Bites ★★★★
Chewy Granola Bars ★★★★
Pita Bread (V) ★★★★★
Honey Wheat Braided Bread ★★★★
Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Whole Wheat Flour (V)★★★★★
V = Vegan, GF = Gluten-free