Anyone who lives in Michigan, knows how cold it can get here. It seems like the winter season goes on for longer than any other season we have here. It starts to get cold in November/December but doesn’t really snow until around Christmas. We get slammed with some kind of snow accumulation in January and then it’s just plain cold, gray and dreary until the end of March. We always get our hopes up that it’s over, and then the first or second week of April brings another vat of snow. It happens every year (from what I’ve seen) and yet, we all know how to gripe and groan about it.

For me, it’s the cold. I hate when it’s bitter cold. I hate when the wind feels like it’s taking off a layer of skin on my face, and my lips gets chapped and I hate the way my skin gets more dry than usual. I complain about the cold constantly. I’m probably the reason our heating bill is so high every year, but I’d rather be warm than be cold and miserable. However, too much heat for me is also a bad thing. So basically, I’m not easy to please when it comes to climate.

That all changed last night. My friend SKB made me socks. Not just any pair of socks. She knitted me a pair of green-and-white-MSU-Spartan socks. She made me socks that have already reduced the amount of complaining I do about the cold.

Did I mention I just got these socks from her yesterday?

I wore them all night. I didn’t complain about the cold once.

Now, most of you might say, “Well then, you big baby, why don’t you just wear socks?”

I’ve done that, and wearing socks that I’ve worn all day are smelly and nasty and feel almost worn out. Something about wearing knit socks is comforting and cozy.

She came to Cube Land to deliver the socks to me. Now that’s what I call service!

…OK maybe she was there to see her hubby who sits across from me, but still. She adores me, and this proves it. As you can see, I was a satisfied customer.

Perfectly crafted…

…and a perfect fit! Feet are gross and gross me out, so I apologize for this shot. But look how cute they are!

I’m amazed that people can do this. They swivel little needles around so meticulously and this is the end result. You can distinctly see where the heel is and where the toe is. It’s so cool!

SKB and her hubby have a cat. The Buddy Cat apparently left his smell on the socks, which drove Gryff WILD. The minute I took the socks out of my bag, he ran over and did this. I mean, I’ve never seen my dog so interested in smelling something.

“These are interesting. Where’d you get them? And why do they smell like something other than me?”

Didn’t take him long to get over it. Even he found them comfortable.

The puppyman approves.

And I do too! Thanks SKB! You’re the best!!

Every few days, REB and I have a date night. A lot of people do it, and we do too. It’s nice to be able to forget about work, other people, any thing else really and just focus on spending time together. I love when it happens all the time, though. OK enough gushy stuff.

We went to a place in downtown Ann Arbor called Jerusalem Garden. It’s located right off Liberty St. and is next to another favorite restaurant of mine, The Earthen Jar. We have never been to Jerusalem Garden and I was in the mood for some Middle Eastern food. There aren’t many places around here that have that kind of cuisine. I gave Palm Palace one chance and the place was the biggest disappointment, so we’ve never gone back. Though, I know my close friend B is all about that place.

Anyway, we loved Jerusalem Garden! It’s a quaint, little place that doesn’t seat a whole lot of people, but the prices are very reasonable and the portions are great. It reminded me of my favorite Middle Eastern place in East Lansing, Woody’s Oasis.

When you walk in you’re in the kitchen! You have the option of being seated (sign not pictured, but is to the right), or you can eat at the bar or order take out. If you go past that wooden post on the left, there are high-top tables if you choose to eat up front near the grill.

Should you choose to dine in (which I recommend), simply wait to be seated. You’ll be taken up three little steps and then into the back of the tiny building to the seating area. Bathrooms are located all the way in the back behind the curtain. There is additional seating outside, which is of course used during the warmer months.

As you can see from the prices, this place isn’t that bad at all. And, like many places in Ann Arbor, they have an entire section of vegetarian dishes. This place already was a winner for us!

We decided to get an appetizer and ordered the hommus served with warm pita. We also each got the lentil soup (which to me, is basically like eating dal straight up).

This portion was enormous! Granted, it was the large, but we didn’t expect it to be this much! Overall, it tasted really good. I could definitely taste the tahini and garlic. I wish it was a little more spice though. Fear not! They have hot sauce sitting right on the table. I had to add a few dashes of that into my soup. I love dal, but I need the heat.

I ordered the falafel sandwich with fattoush. I was in heaven. This was an amazing sandwich! It was warm, flavorful, fresh and seasoned so well. All the vegetables tasted fresh and crunchy and the hommus was an excellent condiment. I could only eat half since I was so full from everything else, but the other half came home with me to be eaten later. REB got the plain falafel sandwich, which he gave two thumbs up (and a big satisfying smile).

Overall, I give this place two very big thumbs up. The service was outstanding and our server was really friendly. The prices are more than reasonable. We got all that food for around $20. Not bad at all. Location can kind of stink, since it is downtown, so you either have to find street parking (unless that’s all for residents living on that street), or park in any of the parking garages in downtown Ann Arbor (which isn’t horribly priced for the amount of time we spent downtown after dinner).

Definitely give Jerusalem Garden a shot! I was really pleased with everything there and will most definitely make a trip back!

I know I’ve said it a countless number of times just how much I love my dog. I treat him like a kid. No joke. Whenever he gets sick or makes a weird noise, I tend to freak out and think something is severely wrong with them. One of my friends even told me, “Never have kids.” Although, part of the time it’s me just being paranoid, most of the time it comes from the fact that I’ve never ever owned a dog before, so anything he does, I’m curious. And besides, what’s wrong with being concerned about someone or something you love?

This past weekend, Gryff got hurt. Like, really hurt. He and REB were playing and REB put him down on the ground and then all of a sudden, Gryff just started yelling. It was the scariest noise ever. He kept whining and yelping and held his front, right leg curled into his body. He couldn’t walk. He was limping and REB and I both freaked out. We thought maybe it was just a sprain and he’d walk it off. But when the “walking it off” turned into limping and then falling down, we knew he had to be taken to the vet.

REB took him to the animal hospital where they took some X-Rays and tried moving his leg. REB said he wasn’t allowed in the back, but he could hear the yelping and high-pitched crying from all the way in the waiting room. I’m sure I would have started bawling my eyes out like a baby. Little animals shouldn’t get hurt. The site of it, the sound of it – it just breaks my heart.

The end result was Gryff getting some doggy morphine and he can walk normally. They think he sprained his elbow and also found a weird line in his bone, which by the looks of it, doesn’t seem too serious, though they’re going to follow up with us when they know for sure. He’s been ordered not to run or play, which really stinks when your breed is supposed to run and play and do “jobs”. Since he can’t be too active, he’s also not allowed to jump on or off the couch or onto the bed. He’s been restrained to his crate every night, which really stinks. As much as I complain about not having any room in the bed when he sleeps in it, it really does stink when he’s not there at all.  :(

Behind bars. Totally breaks my heart. He does like his crate though, which is good when we leave him for the day and go to work, or out at night. But I doubt he likes it when it’s contained to it for 8-9 hours like he has been the past few nights.

The leg he hurt. It’s healing wonderfully. It was kind of swollen and if you touched it, he’d whimper.

He couldn’t even stand like that two days ago. Corgis are tough little dogs, and he’s proven that completely. He’s so brave! A lot more brave than me, that’s for sure. By Friday, he should be in tip-top shape, we hope!

I make a lot of Indian curries. There is one that REB absolutely loves, called mattar paneer. However, I don’t make it that often since it’s pretty much the most unhealthy thing one could eat. Paneer is a type of cheese, similar to feta, but it’s really bad for your health. Not only that, but this dish also has sour cream in it, which in large consumptions, also not that great for the figure.

I made a variation of the dish last night and substituted tofu for the paneer. It worked like a charm. I couldn’t cut out the sour cream, but using light, or fat-free works just as well. I’m sure you could even use milk instead of cream. However, the sour cream adds a tang that sort of brings the whole dish together.

If you do want to use paneer, you can buy a frozen block from any Indian grocery stores. Some even come already cut up into cubes for your convenience. If you want to make your own paneer, that’s not too hard either, but it takes a lot of time since…well, you’re making cheese from scratch. Ha.

Maybe I’ll post something on how to do that another time. Let’s make some curry though!

What you’ll need:
•1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil (1/2 for the tofu, 1/2 for the curry)
•1 1/2 cups firm tofu, cut into cubes
•2 cups pureed Roma tomatoes (maybe not pureed, but chopped up pretty finely)
•1/2 cup chopped onion (not pictured)
•1 tablespoon grated ginger
•1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (don’t need a lot in this dish!)
•1/3 cup fat-free or light sour cream
•1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (not pictured)
•1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
•salt to taste
•2 curry leaves
•1 cup frozen peas
•1/2 cup water (not pictured)
•1/2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (not pictured)

Let’s talk about the garam masala. I’ve mentioned it once before I’m sure, but it’s the most common spice used in almost every Indian dish. It’s essential, it’s fragrant, it’s delicious. You make it by simply dry roasting several spices and then grinding them to a fine powder. I’ll have to make another post one day about how to make garam masala from scratch.
But for now, I have a mom who loves me dearly and made me this entire jarful of garam masala.
It’s OK to be jealous. Buying store-bought masala will never compare to the depth of spice and flavor of doing it yourself.

OK, enough spice-talk, let’s get cooking…

Start by preparing your ingredients, and puree or roughly chop two Roma tomatoes. I love Roma tomatoes. They’re tangy, juicy and de-li-cious! I have a mini food processor for this kind of task. You could just as easily use a blender to help you out, too. Or, if you don’t have either, warm up the tomatoes in the microwave for a few seconds, then use your hands to smush them. Yes, smush is a word. Use it. It works.

Put 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a shallow skillet or frying pan and wait for it to get screaming hot. Then, carefully place the tofu pieces (or paneer if you do want to use that) into the pan. It should start sizzling! Cook the tofu for about 4 minutes or until golden brown.

Like so. I had two batches I had to pan-fry, but they each took about 4 minutes for each side to get brown. Once of the tofu (or paneer) is cooked, transfer them to a plate with a little sprinkling of water on the bottom. This will help keep the tofu (or paneer) moist while you continue cooking.

In a saucepan, heat the other 1/2 tablespoon of oil and let it heat up a bit on medium-high.

Add the onions and the turmeric. Let them cook about 2-3 minutes (shouldn’t take long if your pan is hot!)

Next, add the garlic (very little!) and the tomatoes. You can also grate the ginger at this time. Give it a good stir and let it cook another 5-7 minutes. The juice from the tomatoes will help create a gravy, or masala as we call it.

Once that’s cooked a bit, stir in the sour cream. The color will turn a lot lighter and at this point you can add some salt (1/4-to-1/2 teaspoon). Also, add in your garam masala.

Add in the frozen peas and raise the heat a bit, since the peas (being frozen) will cool the down the dish. Add in the water (not more than 1/2 a cup). Cover and let the curry come to a boil.

Once it’s come to a boil, remove the lid and add in your tofu (or paneer).

If you are using paneer and not tofu, you must be careful not to break apart the paneer when stirring it into the dish. Since I used firm tofu, it was pretty good at holding its shape.

Add in the curry leaves and the tamarind concentrate. Tamarind concentrate is used in the tamarind chutney when eating samosas. It also adds a tang and burst of flavor when added to any curry dish. You don’t need a lot, since the flavor is so strong. Another bonus is that it helps to thicken the curry.

Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Give your curry a taste. You may need to add more garam masala, ginger or salt depending on how spicy you want your dish to be.

Serve it hot over cooked basmati rice.

Nomlicious. Enjoy!

For the past 10 days, I made a 9.5.-mile commute to the paper I was working at. Every time I drove there, I noticed this sign for a winery 2 miles off the county road. Turns out, it just might be the biggest hidden treasure located in Bryan, OH.

Tonight, I actually went there with two of the ladies at the paper, and they bought a bottle for all of us to share. I was in heaven! Everything about that little winery was wonderful, quaint and lovely. Their bottles of wine were very reasonably priced too! So much so, I walked out with three to take home with me.

Located about two miles off Highway 15, Stoneyridge Winery is welcoming and offers an array of whites, reds and fruit wine. I only tried the sweeter wines, as that’s my wine of choice.  It’s locally owned and offers 4 wine tastings for $1. Talk about a steal of a price!

Driving off Highway 15 down to the winery. It was a gorgeous winter day. This was probably one of the only days it wasn’t cloudy and the sun made an appearance.

This is the perfect way to unwind after a long day. Ah, the perfect treat.

These three ladies are three of the nicest ladies I’ve come to meet. The two ladies on the outside work at the paper and have made these past two weeks as sane as they could be. The lady in the middle is a close friend of theirs and used to work at the paper. I heard all sorts of stories over two bottles of wine. Good times.

The cheese had sun dried tomatoes in it and complemented the focaccia crackers quite nicely. Nom nom.

We were sitting on the second floor of the winery and this is what is saw while sipping on the sweet white the girls had purchased. Beautiful.

Like I said, I ended up buying three bottles to take home with me. Two sweet whites and a sweet red. Mm mm!

Yup. I give it my official seal of approval.

I’m coming to you live from Bryan, OH. Please, stop cheering. It’s not that exciting.

The rural city of Bryan, OH may not have a lot to offer in terms of rest and relaxation. To be honest, the local hang out for the high school kids is to cause a ruckus at the local Wal-Mart. But when you’re 45 minutes west of Toledo, and 45 minutes east of Fort Wayne, and you’re here for two weeks and don’t own a dairy farm, you have to find something to do so you won’t go insane.

Unfortunately, it took me 11 days to realize that Bryan, OH, as boring as it may be, is home to a Spangler Candy Company, the factory that makes Dum Dum lollipops and other sweet treats!

In 1906, Arthur Spangler bought the Gold Leaf Baking Powder Company for only $450. Doesn’t seem like much, but back then, you had to be a pretty wealthy person to have that kind of loot. Especially to buy a company of your own. After his brothers joined the venture, the name was changed to Spangler Candy Company in 1920 after the decision was made to make candies and sweet treats.

Now, after more than 100 years, this business is the second largest employer in Bryan, OH (the first being the hospital) and still produces over two billion pieces of candy each year. Although now it’s run by non-family management professionals, it still has long-time employees, one of which who has been there for 61 years working on the factory line.

If you’re ever in the area, or taking a cheesy cross-country road trip, make a pit stop in Bryan and take a tour of the factory. It costs just $5 and you get to ride in a little trolley around the factory to learn about the history of Dum Dums, Spangler candy canes and other candies produced by the company.

Unfortunately due to FDA regulations, visitors aren’t allowed in the kitchen area where the the Dums Dums are born, but you do get to ride through the packing area and watch them fall off the conveyor belts into the packages to be boxed up and shipped.

The summer time is their busiest season, which means you should call ahead to make sure they can have a spot for you to take the tour. The tours only last about a half hour and run on the hour. Since it’s winter now when I went to the factory, I didn’t have to call head or anything. It’s a lot slower for them so I was able to walk in and have a private tour…because I was the only person there.

Cutest little trolley ever! Along the tour, as you ride through the various parts of the factory, you’ll take stops to watch videos that show how the candies are made.

I know how jealous you are of my sexy hair net (-_-; Everyone’s required to wear one when on the tour, though. The little old guy who gave me my tour, insisted on a photo so I could “show my family”. Gotta respect those elders, right?

Another downside is that aside from this trolley area and the gift shop, photography is not allowed, which can kind of suck when you’re a photog like myself. But that’s OK. The trolley is cute and more than makes up for it.

Make sure you stop into the gift shop to take a look at the glass cases, which highlight some of the fun candies they’ve discontinued and have other memorabilia. And of course, you can buy lots and lots of Dum Dums and other candies!

Enjoy a free Dum Dum while you walk around the gift shop.

I almost bought this. Cream Soda is my favorite Dum Dum flavor and they make candles in various smells (Butterscotch, Chocolate, Cream Soda and Watermelon). However, they cost $12 a pop (no pun intended)

Fun Facts:
•The Mystery flavor? It’s created during the flavoring process. When they run out of one flavor and start with a new one, the part of the two flavors that blend together..? That’s the mystery flavor. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

•Dum Dums currently have 25-30 flavors. I thought they had more! Their Quality/Assurance department is always developing new flavors, but a lot of them never make it past the first round of tasting. Can you imagine if your job was to test candy?

•First introduced in 1966, the Dum Dum Drum Man became the mascot and friendly face of Spangler Candy Company. The actual costume didn’t come until 20 years later. I was told that the Spangler men have dressed up as the Drum Man for parades and other public appearances. He’s pretty cute, isn’t it?

It might be silly and lame, but I actually had an OK time. The tour was cheap, interesting and really cute. It sure beats just spending another night watching TV int he hotel room!

So don’t be a Dum Dum! Go check it out for yourself!

The ultimate comfort food, and just so happens to be one of (out of many many many) my favorite foods EVER. Pasta and cheese? Yes, please!

I don’t make it that often because it’s obviously not the greatest thing for your figure. But when it’s the weekend, and I need that ultimate comfort food, this is what I make. REB also loves it, so anything I can do to please my man, the better.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Aren’t they all cute lined up and ready for roll call?

•1/2 cup of butter. That would be a whole stick. Hey, I already said this wasn’t healthy. So deal with it, people!
•1 pound of pasta
•2 1/2 cups shredded cheese of your choice. I used half a block of extra sharp cheddar and also bought brand-name Colby-Jack mix.
•1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. As my favorite goat-woman Rachel Ray would say, it’s the thing that makes them go, “Hmmm…what IS that?”
•1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Pardon me…would you happen to have any Grey Poupon? Why yes, I do!

…ahem…moving on…

•1/2 cup flour
•3 3/4 cups milk (the only healthy thing in the bunch as I used the fat free variety)
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•1 teaspoon salt
•Half a small bag of Goldfish crackers

Let’s get cheesin’

First preheat your oven to 350ºF. You want that thing waiting for you, not you waiting for it.

Then cook the pasta. I went ahead and boiled my water and when it came to a boil, I dumped the pasta in and then started making my sauce. It’s totally fine if your pasta cooks first. You want it to cook to al dente since it will finish cooking in the oven with the cheese.

I used Cavatappi pasta.
This is hands down my favorite kind of pasta. I tried this recipe with different kinds of pasta: Elbow, Farfalle, Shells, etc. But, I love Cavatappi. I love the way it sounds when you say it, and I love the shape. Plus, it’s got those sweet lines to help the ooey-gooey cheese stick to each lovely noodle. Ah, bliss.

As your pasta starts cooking, get to making your sauce.

Melt the butter over low heat. I cut it up to help the melting process go a little faster.

Once it’s all melted, or just about there, you can add in the flour.

Add the flour a little at a time and raise the heat a little. Stir the roux until it is smooth and bubbly.

Remove the roux from the heat, and add the milk. Return the saucepan to the stove and heat to boiling, stirring constantly.

….and I mean that.

Keep stirring! It’ll take about 10-15 minutes. You want to keep stirring it and raise the heat every few minutes so it helps quicken the process. You’re basically making a bechamel sauce, but you want it to thicken a lot.

You know it’s done when the sauce coats the back of your spoon like so. Let it come to a bubble for a minute.

While the sauce keeps thickening, grate some cheese. We bought a block of super, extra sharp white cheddar. Basically amazing. It was also kosher (fun fact) and wasn’t made with animal rennet (good for vegetarians!)

Told ya. Amazing.

Before you add in the cheeses, add the nutmeg and Dijon mustard. I wish I had whole nutmeg. Pout. However, ground nutmeg works just as well. Give that a good stir.

Add in the cheddar. Ooooh-weee! Look how thick that sauce is now!

Took some help from the store and bought a package of finely shredded Colby-Jack cheese. Choose any cheese you like, though: Gruyere, Swiss, Provolone, Jalapeño cheddar, smoked Gouda…mmmm! Even Bleu cheese would probably work (Um, can’t believe I just said that…)

Now tell me that isn’t beautiful. Go on. Try. I won’t believe you, though.

Pour the cheese over the pasta and give it a good stir.

…must…stop….drooling….

Pour the entire pot o’ mac’n'cheese into a 9 x 13 ungreased glass dish like so.

Pour half the bag of Goldfish crackers into a food storage bag and then with a pan, your hand, a rolling pin, whatever…smash ‘em!

Just like that. Yup. That looks about right.

And because we didn’t have enough cheese in the dish already, sprinkle the top with just a touch (or handful) more.

Then top it off with the crushed Goldfish crackers.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Then you end up with this, glorious, delicious dish of heaven. This clearly makes enough for about 10-12 people, but that’s why leftovers are a wonderful thing.

Mmmk, now it’s OK to start drooling.

Sigh. So, so glad I’m not lactose intolerant. Heaven. Just…heaven.

Today Gryff met his second cousin, Luda. REB”s cousin is the proud, new owner of an English bulldog and he is the cutest little thing ever! He’s only about 5 months old, but he already weighs more than Gryff. I was so glad I was able to see the two of them play together before I had to leave to go on site for work.

They hit it off pretty much right away

“Not now, mom! I’m busy playin…!!!”

Um, this might be the best photo of Luda, ever. Caption contest, anyone?

Aww…tired already?

Nope.

I love, love, LOVE those ears!!

They did eventually start to get tired.

Nope, fooled us again.

Nom on the jowls.

“You talkin’ to me?”

Puppy play dates are the best. It’s even more fun when the other dog is excited to play with Gryff. It makes for an easy going evening for REB and me because Gryff passes out for the next two days. Can’t wait to see little Luda again soon!

They grow up so fast, don’t they? I can still remember March 19, 2009 like it was yesterday. He had endured a 10+ hour trip from Texas to be with us. He looked so scared and was the tiniest little bean I had ever seen. And now, one year later, he’s the most handsome, regal, and most wonderful companion to REB and myself.

He is already wise beyond his ears. I have incredibly deep conversations with him and he offers the best advice to me.

Those ears can hear into the future and listen into your soul. No lie. I’m also pretty sure he helps NASA with those satellite ears. My little astronaut!

So, what does the 1-year-old boy get for his birthday?

A Frosty Paw of course! Nothing like a beef-flavored ice cream cup to celebrate your birthday….yum…(o_O)

“Really? You can’t wait until I’m done eating to take my picture? I’m eating here!”

*oink*

Mmmk…no need to gnaw on the cup

I think that’s enough. No need to turn him into one of those chubbier Corgis (sad, btw). I like how concerned he looks that FOOD is being taken away from him. Oinker.

Now that’s good eatin’

Yup. I’m a proud mama. He might really be a dog now, but that little image of him as the bean he used to be, is always going to be implanted in my head. *tear* Happy Birthday, buddy!

Being vegetarian can sometimes be hard. Since we don’t eat meat, we have to find other ways to get protein into our diets.

Good thing we love tofu.  (^_^) Tonight REB and I felt a little Asian (a little easier for me than him. Bahahaha) and made a super easy tofu stir fry for dinner. If you’re not a big fan of tofu, you can of course use chicken, beef, pork, whatever you want.

What you’ll need:

For the stir fry:
•1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced – we just used one medium red bell pepper
•1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
•1/2 package of firm Tofu – this specific tofu we used was actually made and manufactured here in A2! All about supporting our local people!
•1/2 bag of frozen stir fry veggies
•2 cups brown rice (get that going before you start making your stir fry. Even with my awesome rice cooker, it took about 40 minutes for the brown rice to cook. It takes a lot longer than regular Basmati white rice)

For the sauce:
•1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
•1/2 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
•1 tablespoon minced garlic (I have the jar kind. Feel free to use fresh though, if you’d like!)
•1/2 tablespoon grated ginger (give or take. I love ginger)
•1 1/2 teaspoons Siracha (about 4-5 good squirts)
•3 tablespoons peanut butter
•1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
•1 1/2 teaspoons honey (I love my honey bear!)

Now, we didn’t have any peanut butter. …But we did have peanuts and we did have vegetable oil. So we used about 1/2 cup of dry roasted peanuts and about 1/2-to-1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Then we used my handy dandy mortar and pestle and ended up with this:
Prettttttty amazing!

Along with peanut butter, I loooove ginger. I’m pretty sure I’m having a secret affair with ginger (and garlic…….and Siracha. I’m thinking of seeing someone about this…). REB tells me that ginger looks like little babies or humans.
Hmmm, he may be onto something here…

Here’s a tip about ginger. If you buy a bunch of it and aren’t sure if you’re going to use it all within a week, have no fear! Peel the ginger and cut it up into medium-size pieces (like the one pictured above). Then you can put it into a food storage container and put it in the freezer. It’ll keep for up to a month! Then when you’re ready to use it, take out a piece, let it sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes, then you can cut it, or grate it, and use it in your recipes! The more you knooooowww!! -star-

OK, enough rambling, let’s get stirring already!

Like I said earlier, get your brown rice going before you start making the stir fry. You can, of course, use white rice, but brown rice is high in fiber, the oil in it is very low in cholesterol and it’s vitamin-rich!

Heat a large, deep skillet on medium high. Put about 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil on the bottom of the skillet and wait for it to get warm. While that’s happening, cut the tofu into 1-inch strips about 1/4-inch thick. You don’t need to use the entire tofu container! You can use half, and store the rest to be used at another time.
Carefully place each tofu piece in the skillet. Be reaaaaally careful because the pan will be hot! But you want that kind of heat.

So while that’s spittering away, make the sauce:
Pour the vegetable oil, minced garlic, grated ginger and Hoisin sauce into a small bowl. If you’ve never had Hoisin sauce before, it’s got the consistency of ketchup so it’s a little thick, but it’s really sweet and savory in taste. A must-have in Asian cuisine!

Next, add the honey, Siracha and the peanut butter. Give it a good stir.

Last, add the soy sauce (since it’s your salt ingredient) and stir. You may need to grate more ginger into the sauce, which you know I fully support. Stir the entire sauce and taste it. It should be sweet and spicy, which ours was. You shouldn’t need to add any salt to this sauce since the soy sauce more than makes up for it.

Don’t forget about the tofu!

You want the tofu to be golden brown. This will take about 4-5 minutes on each side

Transfer the tofu to a plate that has a little water on the bottom. This will help keep the tofu moist while you continue making your stir fry

In the same, hot skillet, add in your red bell pepper and red onion. Let them cook for a few minutes so the onions start to get translucent

Add in the frozen veggies and let them heat through – will take about 5 minutes or so

Scoot the veggies to the side of the skillet, making a little “hole” in the middle. Pour in your stir fry sauce

Stir the sauce around to mix all your veggies. Since you’re keeping the skillet on higher heat, it’ll start kind of bubbling away – you want this!

After about another 5 minutes, add the tofu back into the skillet

Carefully stir it into your stir fry. You want to be careful so the tofu won’t break apart. You shouldn’t really have to worry about this too much with firm tofu, though. If you’re a fan of silken or soft tofu, you’ll want to be extra sure not to tear or mush it up while stirring!

Serve it over brown rice and…om nom nom nom!

Told ya it was easy!