Last night Sean was working, so I didn't "cook" a meal. I found 3 veggie "meatballs" in the freezer, I heated them in the microwave & put them in some tomato sauce that I made from tomato paste, water & seasonings (we are trying to save money). I then toasted a whole wheat bun & melted some veggie mozzarella (left over from something I made months ago. That's the great thing about veggie cheese, it doesn't turn green!) on it & put the meatballs & sauce on it. Man was it good! I just wish it had been a big hoagie bun & that I would have had about 6 more veggie balls! When Sean got home, I was hungry again; I convinced him to make some of his world-famous hummus. We pigged out on with lightly toasted whole wheat pita bread...I love pita bread this way, the edges are slightly crispy & the center is soft. The hummus hadn't been in the refrigerator yet & was room temperature....just the way I like it. Sean has been working to perfect his hummus recipe for a couple of years now. I recently found a recipe for Sabra hummus at www.topsecretrecipes.com (a website where the guy attempts to duplicate recipes from restaurants & popular things you buy at the grocery store) & we found that the ingredient that they use that we don't is citric acid. So now when Sean makes his hummus, he adds some citric acid. Last nights batch was probably the best yet, in my opinion; he made it with roasted red peppers. Boy, can I ramble on about some food!

Today I had a huge load of stuff to take to the local thrift store. Let me go off on a sidebar here, many thrift stores, even "well-known" ones, throw so much of their donations away into their dumpsters. They don't put it out front with a sign "FREE" or sale it for a dime; they throw it in the dumpster! How do I know this? Well, it is because Sean & I have a little-known-about, dirty hobby, dumpster diving! I will save all the glorious details about this for another post. But, the point I am making is that I tell everyone who will listen that they do not need to take their donations to these "other" thrift stores, only take them to the one near my house. The problem is, the "ethical" thrift store is not in Destin, it is out a ways. My solution to those who don't want to drive that far? I volunteer to take everyone's "stuff" to the "ethical" thrift store. My garage ends up looking like Sanford & Son! (Thus the need to clean it out a couple of days ago.) There is, however, an up side to this situation, I get to rummage through everyone's "stuff" before it actually makes it to the "ethical" thrift store & keep what I want. Didn't I mention I was a pack rat? Yes, I love other people's "stuff" almost as much as I love food!

Anyhow, I digress...We took a load to the "ethical" thrift store & of course you can't just drop off, you must shop. They had all their books 1/2 off; Sean came home with a bag full, plus a tripod, a cool bag, a great wooden beach chair & a pair of shoes. Notice, all of this was for Sean (maybe not the chair, but all the rest). Before we checked out, we realized neither of had much cash on us, to be exact, we had $6.82. Our total came to about $6.90, they let us slide. But we felt pathetic standing there counting out our change at a thrift store! But can you believe we got all that for less than $7? What a deal! We then stopped by an antique store to look for a bench to go with an old, old table we have in the garage that we are thinking of using as a dining table. We found a really cool old church pew that I would really like. But first I need to sell the table we have so that I can justify buying the pew.

When we got home I decided it was time to cook an early dinner. I was going to do the BBQ Tofu & Grilled Corn Salad out of Vegetarian Times, but was afraid it wasn't going to be enough food & didn't really feel like making too much more. (I was starving at the time!) So, I opted for the Mediterranean Pressed Picnic Sandwich from that same magazine. However, I couldn't find any healthy ciabatta bread or any healthy hearty bread for that matter; I used my regular whole wheat bread. I also didn't use the fresh mozzarella called for. I made my own pesto & tapenade, instead of using store bought. I put the veggies on my George Forman. I didn't "press" it being that I didn't use the ciabatta bread, nor was I planning on eating it later. We devoured them right after taking the picture! Again, I wish I would have had more of it! They were delicious! A little later, I melted some dark chocolate chips, chopped some peanuts & dipped a banana in the chocolate & then in the peanuts; what a yummy, easy, always-on-hand dessert!

Well, our plans to go to Pensacola for dinner tomorrow night have been changed. I think we may go over on Sunday. I will be sure to take pictures & report back to you with all the details! I am really looking forward to that; I have never been to a vegan restaurant. Can you say "not very progressive/metropolitan"? Yes, Sean & I are living in an area that is not very conducive to our lifestyle. Oh well, grow where you are planted, right? Ha, what a cheesy, cheesy phrase! I actually remember that from my days, long ago, of trying to make friends & got the bright idea to join the Junior League! Don't get me wrong & please don't let me offend, they are a great organization & do many good projects in the community. But I am not quite the type that "fits" into a mold very easy. It's like when my mother insisted I go through "Rush" to be in a sorority in college. It's just not me. On "Squeal Day" night (the day that you "get in"), when they asked you to tell something about yourself, I announced to all the girls that I didn't shave my legs & hadn't in a year & a half! That was 16 years ago & I still haven't shaved my legs! Are you getting where I am coming from? Again, I have nothing against these organizations, they just aren't my thing; I hope I haven't offended anyone. Enough rambling,....Good night!