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| (source: Synthetic Doll) |
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| (Source: Synthetic Doll) |
Monday, 2 July 2012
Frabjous Day!
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
HorrorBunnies Live!
I have finally taken pics of my HorrorBunnies, after they were in my craft basket for AGES. Anyway, here for your viewing pleasure:
Zombie HorrorBunny
Frankenstein's HorrorBunny
Werewolf HorrorBunny
Cthulhu HorrorBunny
Teaspoon Bunny
Vampire HorrorBunny
Monday, 23 January 2012
Faux bear skin rug
I have decided that what I truly need from life is a faux bearskin rug... preferably made to look like a teddy bear skin ^_^ I have a great love for anything fluffy, and the thought of having something big and fuzzy to bury my face in makes me way too happy. However, animal fur (particularly taxidermy *shudder*) freaks me right out, so this is an adorable, cruelty-free fuzzy alternative!
A quick Google search yielded some awesome pics from really creative people, and I'm so amped to take a stab at making my own :)
A quick Google search yielded some awesome pics from really creative people, and I'm so amped to take a stab at making my own :)
(From BarnabyHuxley)
Then there are also more unusual, and nonetheless very awesome designs, like this Wampa rug:
(From Think Geek. I suspect that the Princess Leia cosplayer is optional...)
But I must admit that my favourite so far, hands down, is this monster rug I found on Deviant Art
(By missmonster)
Definitely a monster-hunting trophy worthy of note!
Sunday, 22 January 2012
A Very Cthulhu Christmas
I made this tiny Cthulhu for my dad for Christmas, based on the pattern in Creepy Cute Crochet :) As you can see, it turned out perfectly fine, and I make all apologies for every negative thought I have ever had about the patterns. As I said (at length) in a previous post, reading instructions on whether to crochet in both loops rather than in the back loop only is rather important -_- I will at some point post a picture of an earlier attempt at a Cthulhu from the same pattern. I also made another tiny Cthulhu, with slightly different eyes, for a friend for her birthday.
Anyway, just so that you can see that I do actually ~make stuff.
Anyway, just so that you can see that I do actually ~make stuff.
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Lazy Mixed Bean Wrap
I honestly have no idea what to call this meal, but I had it for lunch today and it was super tasty! It's also in keeping with my goal of having simpler, more affordable meals. The beans are made from a recipe by That Creepy Guy Over There :)
Serves: 2-3 (depending on how much you eat... it would easily be enough for my two sisters and I. However, the recipe is super easy to double/triple/quadruple/ALL THE FOOD)
Ingredients:
Salsa-type thing:
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, finally chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
Mixed beans:
240g mixed beans (this could be a drained can of mixed beans, or basically any beans you have lying around. The mix I used was chickpeas, white beans and red kidney beans)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs dried coriander
2 tsp paprika (or more... your call)
1 tbs lemon juice
salt to taste
some salad leaves, roughly chopped of the leaves are large (I used cos lettuce, by virtue of its presence in my fridge)
2-3 wraps (a wrap per person, at the very least)
Optional extras:
Whatever spicy sauce you eat (I used Chipoltle Tabasco, but if you don't eat refined sugar I'd advise something else)
Red onion sprouts
More fresh coriander to garnish (what? I like coriander...)
Guacamole
Method:
1.) Mix the salsa ingredients together, reserving half of the chopped onion to add to the beans. Set aside.
2.) Drain and rinse your beans if they're canned. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. While the oil is heating up, pulse two thirds of the beans in a food processor with the spices, lemon juice and remaining onion until it forms a coarse paste.
3.) Add the bean paste and whole beans to the pan, and cook (stirring constantly) until the bean paste darkens slightly. A non-stick pan is your friend here. I'd say this takes about 5 minutes, but basically cook it until the onion is cooked and the mixture tries to form a ball as opposed to being a gloopy paste. Season to taste.
4.) Divide lettuce, salsa and bean paste between wraps, and eat immediately.
Alternatively, this goes well with nachos.
Enjoy!
Serves: 2-3 (depending on how much you eat... it would easily be enough for my two sisters and I. However, the recipe is super easy to double/triple/quadruple/ALL THE FOOD)
Ingredients:
Salsa-type thing:
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, finally chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
Mixed beans:
240g mixed beans (this could be a drained can of mixed beans, or basically any beans you have lying around. The mix I used was chickpeas, white beans and red kidney beans)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs dried coriander
2 tsp paprika (or more... your call)
1 tbs lemon juice
salt to taste
some salad leaves, roughly chopped of the leaves are large (I used cos lettuce, by virtue of its presence in my fridge)
2-3 wraps (a wrap per person, at the very least)
Optional extras:
Whatever spicy sauce you eat (I used Chipoltle Tabasco, but if you don't eat refined sugar I'd advise something else)
Red onion sprouts
More fresh coriander to garnish (what? I like coriander...)
Guacamole
(image credit: http://www.hurstbeans.com)
Method:
1.) Mix the salsa ingredients together, reserving half of the chopped onion to add to the beans. Set aside.
2.) Drain and rinse your beans if they're canned. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. While the oil is heating up, pulse two thirds of the beans in a food processor with the spices, lemon juice and remaining onion until it forms a coarse paste.
3.) Add the bean paste and whole beans to the pan, and cook (stirring constantly) until the bean paste darkens slightly. A non-stick pan is your friend here. I'd say this takes about 5 minutes, but basically cook it until the onion is cooked and the mixture tries to form a ball as opposed to being a gloopy paste. Season to taste.
4.) Divide lettuce, salsa and bean paste between wraps, and eat immediately.
Alternatively, this goes well with nachos.
Enjoy!
The Frugal Vegan and Other Goals for the Year
In case this has not already become apparent from my general behaviour and throw-away comments, I am a student living away from home. This means that I do all my own cooking, which is in part what allowed me to make the change to become veggie, and eventually vegan. Unfortunately transport has always been a bit of a problem for me, so my shopping habits (and therefore eating habits) aren't always ideal. In addition to this, I often end up spending more money than I should on groceries, because I buy from wherever is closest. I will also admit that I have been relying a bit heavily on pre-made meat analogues, just because it's convenient.
I didn't really think much of it until I had a conversation with a friend who had gone vegetarian for Lent. He mentioned that his grocery bills were much lower than in the past, particularly since he ate legumes rather than meat or meat analogues. He then asked if being vegan worked out cheaper for me than being vegetarian (the logic being that I no longer spend money on milk, cheese and yoghurt)... and I had to admit that I really didn't think so. In fact, I suspect my grocery bills are higher than they were when I was veg.
The reason for this being, of course, that a lot of vegan products available in other countries are only available here at a greatly inflated price, if you can get them at all... A 200g block of vegan mozzarella will set me back around R60, whilst dairy mozzarella costs that much PER KILO. Not to mention the food miles... Fortunately soy milk and meat analogues are less expensive, thanks to my two preferred brands (MA Milk Alternative by Good Hope International Beverages and Fry's, respectively), and both brands manufacture their products locally (yay lower food miles!). But I still feel I can cut costs even further.
After this conversation with my friend, I decided that this year will be the year that I cut way back on highly processed (and expensive) products, particularly non-local ones, and focus on fresh produce, legumes and whole grains instead. Having my veggie sister now living with me, finally having a car and wanting to lose a bit of weight definitely adds to my resolve. And lastly, there's a Korean store, a Chinese store, and an Indian wholesale store (spices and legumes) close to my house, and a farmer's market-type store (Fruit and Veg City, for other South Africans :P) within driving distance. So I really have no excuse.
In the spirit of saving some other people money too, I'm hoping to post some recipes and meal ideas that I have found are both tasty and affordable. If anyone else has anything they'd like to share, let me know :)
I didn't really think much of it until I had a conversation with a friend who had gone vegetarian for Lent. He mentioned that his grocery bills were much lower than in the past, particularly since he ate legumes rather than meat or meat analogues. He then asked if being vegan worked out cheaper for me than being vegetarian (the logic being that I no longer spend money on milk, cheese and yoghurt)... and I had to admit that I really didn't think so. In fact, I suspect my grocery bills are higher than they were when I was veg.
The reason for this being, of course, that a lot of vegan products available in other countries are only available here at a greatly inflated price, if you can get them at all... A 200g block of vegan mozzarella will set me back around R60, whilst dairy mozzarella costs that much PER KILO. Not to mention the food miles... Fortunately soy milk and meat analogues are less expensive, thanks to my two preferred brands (MA Milk Alternative by Good Hope International Beverages and Fry's, respectively), and both brands manufacture their products locally (yay lower food miles!). But I still feel I can cut costs even further.
After this conversation with my friend, I decided that this year will be the year that I cut way back on highly processed (and expensive) products, particularly non-local ones, and focus on fresh produce, legumes and whole grains instead. Having my veggie sister now living with me, finally having a car and wanting to lose a bit of weight definitely adds to my resolve. And lastly, there's a Korean store, a Chinese store, and an Indian wholesale store (spices and legumes) close to my house, and a farmer's market-type store (Fruit and Veg City, for other South Africans :P) within driving distance. So I really have no excuse.
In the spirit of saving some other people money too, I'm hoping to post some recipes and meal ideas that I have found are both tasty and affordable. If anyone else has anything they'd like to share, let me know :)
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