It happened so fast, in fact, that it wasn’t until Friday that it really and truly hit me that after four years of working from home and getting to be with Milo all day, we’re going to be separated.

snow day

I know that it will be harder on me than it will be on him. He will be home with Matt, and they will be having adventures, going to preschool, running errands, playing, going on walks… his day-to-day life will hardly change at all.

walking in the snow

But I will miss him so much.

I have been trying to soak it all up. I have taken him on some mom-and-son dates in the last few days. Friday, we went to the library, followed by happy hour pizza slices at Pizza Fino:

goofy

Saturday, we were lucky enough to be invited to a complimentary meal at the opening weekend of a new vegan restaurant here in the Portland area, Veggie Grill.

We were given a cool product to play with, Wikki Stix, while we waited for our food, so of course we spelled Milo’s name.

milo spelled in wikki stix

I had been told by friends that I had to try the buffalo wings, and sure enough: they were spicy and delicious!

Veggie Grill buffalo wings

I had the Santa Fe Chickin’ sandwich and Milo had the Chickin’ Nuggets:

Santa Fe Chickin' Sandwich

Milo eats his nuggets

I think that Milo enjoyed his sweet potato fries more than the nuggets themselves, no surprise there.

This afternoon, I have some low-key family time in mind. I might give Milo’s hair a trim. If it stays dry, we might go for a hike or a scooter ride (Milo) and walk (Matt and me). If Milo has his say, there will be at least one game of Candyland played. I will take way too many pictures. Milo will put up with it so long as I show them to him on the iPhone afterward. It will be just another afternoon for him. Hopefully he won’t notice me sniffling and wiping at my eyes.

I loved it and wanted to pass it on to you.

It started this summer when I was making my Fluffy Pancakes for Milo on a regular basis. You know, in the morning, the time when pancakes are typically made.

I found myself fantasizing about the boxed pancake mixes that I grew up with, the omnipresent box of pancake mix which can still be found in most American pantries to this day:

Oh the convenience! Boxed mixes are made for early morning cooking and baking! I wished I could just measure out the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, give it a few good stirs, and be done with it.

Then I thought: “Wait, why can’t I?”

I quadrupled the dry ingredients of my pancake mix, put it in an airtight container in the pantry with a sticker on it which reminded me of the quantities needed per batch, and voila! Homemade vegan packaged pancake mix!

This led me to wonder what else in my day-to-day life would be even easier if I made a mix beforehand, and I started making mixes like crazy: waffles, corn muffins, muesli, even nuggets!

I happened to make a batch of nuggets mix today and I documented the process so that you could see how easy it is:

First I measure out the dry ingredients for one batch of the recipe into a bowl:

Then I mix the ingredients, and I use a measuring cup to double-check the total amount of dry ingredients, since this will be my dry measurement later:

Now that I have my dry measurement, I quadruple all of the dry ingredient amounts and add it all to a storage container. I like to reuse my coffee cans, since they hold a lot:

Shake it well to mix up all those ingredients, or enlist a kid to do it for you!

Finally, write the measurement on a sticker on the container. I also write the measurements for the liquid amounts, so that I don’t have to drag out my cookbook every time that I want to make nuggets.

Ta-da! So easy! Now the next time that I want to make nuggets, it’s just that much easier to get the ball rolling. This is also a great way to enlist another member of your household to do more cooking: some cooking novices might have trouble following a recipe, but literally anyone can mix dry and wet ingredients together and shove it in an oven.

What was your biggest food revelation in 2011?

office and craft room

Remember my goals for the holidays? So far I have managed to do well on all of them…except for finding a sitter for Matt’s and my anniversary. But that’s okay! We don’t have any money, anyway, so I will probably just make a nice dinner and we’ll drink the beer left over from our annual cookie party (and cookies, to boot) and watch a movie on Netflix instant, curled up together on the couch. That’s the thing about having your anniversary fall two days after Christmas: by the time that it rolls around every year, we are kind of over going out.

But that’s not why I’m here! I’m here to tell you about the holiday discount on Yellow Rose Greatest Hits! Between now and the last day of Hanukkah (December 28th), Yellow Rose Greatest Hits will be 15% off! Hot damn!

Here is what international tastemaker and trendsetter My Mom had to say about Yellow Rose Greatest Hits:

I also have now had a chance to really look through Yellow Rose Greatest Hits, and it’s just wonderful. As in your first book, it reads as though you’re a friend and you’re standing right beside the cook and chatting through the recipe as a friend would. It’s definitely a must-have, even if one has Yellow Rose (Recipes).

I’d say that’s a pretty strong endorsement. She said “must-have,” and My Mom doesn’t just throw around language like that about books her daughter writes.

I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season with plenty of days off and a seemingly neverending cup of cocoa.

I snapped these while at the Alberta Coop:

dark chocolate covered sandwich cookies with peppermint

Christmas fir potpourri

the elusive vegan caramels

stroopwaffels

Nikki McClure calendar

The photos that I snapped while at Back to Eden are all crappy because my mind wasn’t exactly on photography. It was on the mint chocolate soft serve that was being prepared for me. Regardless:

peppermint patties

Go Max Jokers

And here are a few I took at New Seasons the other night while I was waiting for my wok bowl. I love both the Moonstruck product line and their beautiful packaging:

chocolate-covered almonds and cranberries

dark chocolate espresso and chile bars

hot cocoa

If chocolate doesn’t do it for you, how about these fantastic ornaments, many of which are locally made?

ornaments at New Seasons

more ornaments

Of course, now that I’m looking at all of these, I can see that there is a strong emphasis on chocolate, but really: isn’t that the way that it should be?

I’m still trying to figure out what I’m making for our stocking stuffer snacks this year. Last year, I made a variety of sweet and savory treats, but we ran out of the snack mixes long before anything else. I’m starting to think that I should just make snack mixes, spiced nuts, and maybe this peanut butter popcorn recipe I’ve been wanting to try.

If you’re a holiday baker, how’s it coming? Do you stick to your family favorites every year or branch out?

Can you even believe that four years ago, this guy…

…looked like this?

Neither can I!

We’re having a wonderful quiet birthday at home today. I don’t know how many more years I will be able to get away with the small family celebrations, but I plan to milk it for as long as possible. Milo did have his best pal Jack over for some birthday cake, but otherwise, we’re attempting to keep it as low-key as possible.

Milo’s favorite birthday present was a coin-sorting bank which his granddad sent him. He keeps looking around the house for more change to put in it.

Although over half of the recipes had adjustments made here and there, I only noted recipes as being updated if they had significant revisions. If you’re worried that I “messed with” one of your favorites: I believe that the changes I made were all improvements—but if you disagree, you can always just use the old recipe!

tofu scramble (with variations) from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
breakfast crisp from Potluck Mania #1
fluffy pancakes (with variation) from Potluck Mania #1 updated!
jalapeno corncakes from Yellow Rose Recipes
buttermilk biscuits from Yellow Rose Recipes
rosemary home fries from Yellow Rose Recipes
maple ginger tempeh strips from Potluck Mania #1
breakfast sausages (with variation) from Potluck Mania #1
hoppin’ john cakes from Potluck Mania #1
roasted red pepper hummus from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
jalapeno lime hummus from Potluck Mania #2
white bean dip from Potluck Mania #2
roasted garlic chickpea spread from Potluck Mania #2 updated!
spinach artichoke dip from Potluck Mania #1
guacamole from Yellow Rose Recipes
mango salsa (with variation) from Yellow Rose Recipes
raw corn salsa (with variation) from Yellow Rose Recipes
veggie wontons with ginger miso dipping sauce from Yellow Rose Recipes
nuggets from joannavaught.com
beer brats from Potluck Mania #2
taco salad from Yellow Rose Recipes
minty summer fruit salad (with variation) from Yellow Rose Recipes
texas caviar from Yellow Rose Recipes
quinoa tabouli from Yellow Rose Recipes
three bean salad from Potluck Mania #2
hot mama salad from Potluck Mania #2
chick salad (with variation) from Potluck Mania #2
chickpea of the sea salad from Potluck Mania #2
smoky chipotle split pea soup from Potluck Mania #2
black eyed pea soup from Yellow Rose Recipes
mom’s lentil soup from Yellow Rose Recipes
west african peanut soup from Potluck Mania #1
black bean soup from Yellow Rose Recipes
potato corn chowder from Yellow Rose Recipes
northwest meets southwest chili from Yellow Rose Recipes
sesame green beans from Yellow Rose Recipes
roasted garlic mashed potatoes from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
moroccan sweet potatoes from Potluck Mania #1
mushroom dressing from Potluck Mania #1
coconut sweet potatoes (with variation) from Potluck Mania #1
collard greens from Yellow Rose Recipes
grilled portobellos from Yellow Rose Recipes
refried black beans from Yellow Rose Recipes
chicken-style seitan (with variation) from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
mustard-crusted seitan from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
autumn vegetables and tofu roast from Potluck Mania #1
tomato and corn pie from Potluck Mania #2
sloppy joannas from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
tamale pie from Yellow Rose Recipes
baked mac and cheese from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
butternut squash lasagna from Yellow Rose Recipes
lemon mint pasta with zucchini and petits pois from Potluck Mania #2
shiitake risotto from Potluck Mania #2
pizza from Potluck Mania #1
nacho sauce from Yellow Rose Recipes
tangy sour cream from Yellow Rose Recipes
no cook barbecue sauce from Potluck Mania #1
buffalo sauce from Potluck Mania #1
lemon tahini dressing (with variation) from Yellow Rose Recipes
warm cumin lime vinaigrette from Potluck Mania #2
agave mustard dressing from Potluck Mania #2
creamy lemon dill dressing from Potluck Mania #2
citrus mint dressing (with variation) from Potluck Mania #2
sweet sesame vinaigrette from Potluck Mania #2
chipotle ranch dressing (with variations) from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
almond milk gravy from Yellow Rose Recipes
spiced maple butter from joannavaught.com
spinach pesto from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
mexican pesto from Yellow Rose Recipes
lemon artichoke pesto from Yellow Rose Recipes
béchamel sauce from Yellow Rose Recipes
romesco sauce from Potluck Mania #2
alfredo sauce (with variation) from Yellow Rose Recipes
parmesan from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
zucchini muffins from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
southern style corn muffins from Potluck Mania #1
aloha bread from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
pumpkin spice bread with streusel topping from Potluck Mania #1
oatmeal cream pies from Yellow Rose Recipes updated!
gingerbread boys from Potluck Mania #1
the christmas cookies from Potluck Mania #1
all-time very best vegan brownies from joannavaught.com
lemon almond cake from Yellow Rose Recipes
spice cake from Yellow Rose Recipes

I am thrilled to tell you that my newest cookbook, Yellow Rose Greatest Hits, is finished, available to buy, and is discounted this weekend!

Yellow Rose Greatest Hits features roughly 100 updated and improved fan favorites from Yellow Rose Recipes, Potluck Mania, and this website: all killer, no filler.

I did an informal poll on Facebook and asked if I should print the cookbook in full color or in black and white, given that the color version would be almost twice as much as the black and white. Every single commenter said that they would be willing to pay extra for color, but I decided to give the choice of a black and white copy, anyway. That’s the exciting thing about self-publishing! I have the choice, and so do you.

This weekend—November 24-28—I will be offering a 10% discount on the color copy and a 5% discount on the black and white copy.

Here they are:

♥ Yellow Rose Greatest Hits (full color)
♥ Yellow Rose Greatest Hits (black and white)

Thank you so much for all of the emails, tweets, and Facebook messages asking me if and when I was going to republish Yellow Rose Recipes. Knowing that there was a demand has really motivated me to get this out there. I feel blessed to be part of a community which is so supportive. This Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks for all of you.

Happy holidays from Portland!

(photo template courtesy of the amazing puglypixel)

This is my favorite time of year. I spend eight months wishing that it were October through December, and then it comes, and I’m so busy rushing around that it all happens in a blur of Vegan MoFo-Halloween-Thanksgiving-Milo’s birthday-Christmas-Our Anniversary-New-Years, followed by the two most depressing months to live in the Pacific Northwest: January and February, aka Cold and Grey and Somehow Colder and Greyer.

Tonight, while I was going over my Thanksgiving shopping list, I wrote on a scrap of paper a few goals for my holiday season, and I’ve decided to share them with you:

♥ Dress up for Thanksgiving dinner…but bring a change of clothes for post-dinner video game playing
♥ Watch lots of movies with Milo, snuggled under blankets
♥ Reread the entire Harry Potter series
♥ Involve Milo in the baking and decorating of his birthday cake
♥ Attend the Mississippi and St. Johns Christmas tree lightings with my family
♥ When talking with Milo, keep the emphasis on tradition, family, kindness, and goodwill and downplay the acquisition of stuff as much as possible
♥ Send hand-written cards
♥ Watch the Christmas Ship Parade—we kept missing it last year
♥ Shop exclusively at local, independent businesses
♥ Bake, bake, bake
♥ Get a sitter for our anniversary and do something special with Matt
♥ Take lots of pictures
♥ Spend as little money as possible

I’ve compiled three, count ‘em, three playlists of Christmas music:

christmas: coffee ♥ a playlist of mellow tunes to listen to while you’re drinking your coffee and watching the lights blink on the tree
christmas: crafting and cooking ♥ a mix of old and new songs to play in the background while you glue sequins and roll dough
christmas: cocktail party ♥ classics, heavy on the crooners

What are your goals for the season?

The parenting books all talk about your preschooler asserting his independence, and how you should be so glad that he’s forming his own opinions and identity separate from yours, because you don’t want a child who is a conformist, who mindlessly follows every instruction given to him and complies with every request made of him. Yes, sure. That is all well and good when I’m reading a book, but when we’re on the third tantrum of the day and it’s not even 9 AM, I’m thinking: “Compliance would be nice occasionally. You know, just for a change.”

Matt checked out the book Your Three-Year-Old: Friend or Enemy¹ from the library, and when I read this paragraph, I actually exclaimed: “YES!” outloud:

Three is a conforming age. Three-and-a-half is just the opposite. Refusing to obey is perhaps the key aspect of this turbulent, troubled period in the life of a young child. It sometimes seems to his mother that his main concern is to strengthen his will, and he strengthens this will by going against whatever is demanded of him by that still most important person in his life, his mother.

The authors have identified that young children go in patterns of six months of equilbrium followed by six months of disequilibrium which tend to correspond roughly to their age. This has definitely been the case for Milo. When he was two years old, Matt and I often commented to each other: “Why do people say Terrible Twos? This is the easiest time we’ve ever had with him. So much easier than 18 months…” Then, about 4 months before his third birthday, he felt very out-of-control to us. It seemed to even out a month or so after his third birthday, and it was smooth sailing until… a couple of months ago. Equilibrium. Disequilibrium. Just when you’re starting to exhale and relax and accept the relative calm as the new normal, things go haywire again.

It was reassuring to read that his behavior is 100% in line with where he should be developmentally for his age group, and that he was just acting like a normal three-and-a-half-year-old. But truthfully, it was even more reassuring to know that this too shall pass, and soon. His fourth birthday is only three weeks away. We just have to be patient, allow him to be himself, use parenting techniques to handle the tantrums as they occur—this usually involves my repeating: “Composure. Composure.” to myself in my head when I can see him gearing up for a meltdown—breathe, and…did I mention be patient yet?

Meanwhile, I am trying to stay present and enjoy this time. Because even on the hardest of days, we still have so much fun, and the last thing that I want to do is sweep the good under the rug with the bad. I have been lucky enough to stay home with Milo for the first 4 years of his life, but that’s about to change, and I know that I will miss it desperately: making pancakes for him in the morning while dancing to music, helping him pick out his clothes for the day, snuggling with him in bed on the days where he wakes up before I do.

The other morning, he crawled into bed with us and the very first words he said to me were: “I love you so much, Mommy. You are the loveliest girl in this whole wide world.”

“I love you so much, too, buddy.”

¹ I should say that as far as parenting advice goes, this series leaves a lot to be desired. It was written in the 1980s and boy is it antiquated. But while parents have changed in the last 25 years, children have not, so if you read it purely as a case study of children age by age, it’s a good resource.