Drum Roll Please

Now some of you may have noticed that my postings have been cut down a little but trust me it has been for a really good reason but I will get to that later. Tonight I am full of announcements! I stated back in January that I planned on taking a trip to Japan and as of Friday I obtained my ticket!! It has now become real. Cassi is going to Japan!!! When my purchase was complete I sat at the computer shaking not because I was scared but because I set a goal for myself and I achieved it. I can't wait to shop, eat and visit the temples. This will be the best Mother's Day ever!

Now for my second announcement, since November I have been busy at work in the kitchen creating recipes and veganizing classic family recipes. Why you ask because I have been working on a cookbook. I am now in the proposal stage meaning that the book is finished and I am ready to submit it to publishers. The theme is a cookbook with simple, starter vegan recipes, geared toward single parent households that want healthy, child friendly dishes all using pantry ingredients. So the total servings will be small and dishes simple enough to whip up in less than 45 minutes from start to finish with basic ingredients that should still be in the pantry from prior meat eating days. Waste not want not is my motto. My hopes for this book is for it to become a vegan transitional cookbook, a starting point for the new vegan family.  

I have the most awesome friends in the world. They have come over to taste new recipes, push me to try a recipe again when it didn't turn out how I wanted and for dealing with all the cookbook and recipe talk  for months on end. I would say the journey is over but it has just began because once the book is published there will be book signings and cooking demos.  For the past year or so I have attended the bulk of Bianca's cooking demos and from backstage it looks like a cake walk but after Amy put my through a mock demo in my kitchen, I felt like I was on The Next Food Network Star. She asked questions about the ingredients and the process. If I could sub this for that. It was crazy!! But I pulled through like a champ questions and all. Here she is making what will be one of my signature dishes, Spring Rolls. They are fast, healthy and they scream Cassi. I always find a way to work them into any party I have.

 So I am asking for positive energy and positive vibes as I submit my soon to be best selling cookbook!