Halloween is in three days, and the hunt for odds and ends to finish the kids' costumes is still underway.Do you remember L.'s DIY Clone Trooper costume from last year? The one I spent hours on (and almost severed my fingers while sawing through a white plastic trashcan)? The one L. claimed he would wear year after year because it was so good. It's in bits and pieces all around the garage and this year L. wants to be some character out of the computer game he likes to play these days. When he first told me about it I though, oh this will be easy because the character I thought he was talking about appears in a suit and has dark black eyeglasses--an easy find. But, as it turns out, this character wears a flak jacket and a gas mask.
"A gas mask?" I asked L. "Like from WWII?"
Yes, as it turns out. And a flak jacket, like the kind a SWAT person might wear. But, fortunately, L. informed me, he can wear his regular Vans with the costume, so he won't need to buy any shoes or boots.
Amazingly, there are people out there who have already tackled the gas mask dilemma, like this enterprising young man. I have a feeling L. and I will be spending some quality time with duct tape this weekend.
Thank goodness T. is going as an astronaut, and planning on wearing her brother's orange NASA jumpsuit. No assembly required.
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Ever since we adopted these two lovely ladies:
We have been well-stocked on these:
Lucy and Olive love carrots, and will squeal the house down for them. I can relate, because I love carrots, too. They are crunchy-sweet, and the perfect snack. Plus they fill me up, too. I often pack a container of carrot sticks to bring to work with me a few times a week, when the urge to snack hits. A few weeks ago a friend sent me a recipe for a delicious-sounding vegan carrot soup. I'd never made carrot soup before, and I'm not a huge fan of creamy soups. I like to see the things that go into my soup--the chunks of cooked vegetables, tiny pasta noodles, or whole lentils or beans. This recipe looked perfect, as it called for diced carrots, and didn't once mention the use of a blender or food processor. I made a few tweaks (substituted unsweetened coconut milk for the soy milk and added orzo pasta). It was, hands down, the BEST carrot soup I've ever tried. Scott couldn't stop raiving about it, either. We liked it so much that it was all gone before I could take any pictures!
Vegan Carrot Soup (The Best Ever)
1 large onion, diced
5-7 carrots (about 1 lb), diced
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
5 cup vegetable broth
1 to 1/2 cups uncooked orzo