What girl doesn't love jewelry

Yesterday afternoon I hosted my first Origami Owl party. Jennifer hosted a party a few months ago, I have never heard of this type of jewelry party but when she brought the catalog over I was so excited because with Origami Owl you get to build your own necklace the way you want. What I love the most is you can add to take away or even make a brand new necklace as long as you have the Living Locket, you are never stuck with the same necklace. The concept is a combination of a locket and charm bracelet. I love this concept because I have always wanted a charm bracelet yet I never got one but with Origami Owl I can have a necklace or a bracelet! ( You can make one or the other) Sadly I was not able to attend Jennifer's party because I was coming home from Atlanta Vegfest but I gave Jennifer my order form and placed my order via phone, the day of the party. I wanted my necklace!

  Since Jennifer had her own party, of course I wanted to host my own mainly because I wanted more charms to add to my locket. I started off with 2 charms plus a plate and Jennifer gave me 4 more for Christmas but I want more I want more! I have a lot of interest plus I want to be able to change it up.

 So far I have all the things that are important to me in my locket. I have a black doggy paw with rhinestones for my Anna that passed, a charm of Keithon with his birthstone, a chef's hat that says "love to cook",  a cupcake, a high heeled shoe, a book that says "love to read"  and a plate that says "mom".  My living locket is filled with everything that is great about me.

  Most Origami Owl parties are hosted by a mother daughter team. Megan and her mom were heading up my jewelry bar. Megan's mom did most of the explaining on how to build our creations because Megan is a bit shy but Megan did have a lot of good advice on how to build the perfect locket story! I love the set up because most of the items you need are on site so you can try on and build your piece. That way no one leaves disappointed.

 With any party you have to have food and I was short on time so I decided to whip up snacks from what I had on hand. Crazy enough all the foods I had on hand were Asian so it fit well with the Origami Owl party!


  Thankfully Nicole showed up early to help me prep the food because I was running short on time. For this party I went with easy hand held snacks and of course I had to make my all time favorite Spring Rolls. Who doesn't love a good spring roll. Mine were kinda sloppy mainly because I was rushing and I made the mistake of cutting them with a dull knife but they still eat the same.

 Next I tried a brand-new item, Crab Ragoons. For Christmas I received a gift certificate so I could buy Match Meat online because we can't get it in Memphis. Match Meat is so close to the real thing and I really miss seafood. So this really hit the spot.

 Saturday while we were at Amy's mom's we had take out Keithon asked what duck sauce was made from. ( I honestly had no clue because I don't care for it because it's a sweet sauce that is suppose to go on savory items. I don't mix the two. My mind won't let me. So to reassure my child that duck sauce or plum sauce as it's also known as didn't come from ducks I decided to make some at home. (By I I mean Nicole, I gave her the measurements and she put everything in a pot). Duck sauce is nothing more than apricot preserves, sugar, water, and vinegar. Go figure.

  I can't wait til my new charms come in so I can wear my "New" necklace! I'm sure as the year progresses that I'll add new charms and dangles because I know there will be a lot of great adventure this year.

Its a Celebration

No, its not my birthday but it is another important day in my life. Its my VEGANVERSARY! Today I have been a vegan for 8 months and let me tell it has been a journey.

Now the first question people ask  when they find out I'm vegan is why did I do it? (no I don't announce i'm vegan, I just wait for someone to offer me food) The main reason I became vegan is health reasons. Yes, I love animals and want to protect them all but I have to accept that I can't and take care of my body so I can be the best Cassi I can be. My friends have always known me as a health nut (fast food is the devil to me) but when my eyes were opened when I learned how chicken was for lack of a better term killed. It hit me, I don't want that crap in my body. What you but in your body is what you get out.

When I decided to take the vegan leap I decided to go all in. I went RAW vegan. I borrowed cookbooks from my friend Bianca, my friends posted recipes on my Facebook wall, it was great. Then a cold snap hit, I missed soup and I wanted hot food. So no more raw vegan, normal vegan would have to do and I have barely looked back.

Now to celebrate my big day I made two favorite dishes. Chow mei fun, spring rolls and a glass of Charles Shaw "2 Buck Chuck". Who knew 2 Buck Chuck would be vegan?! I picked it up months ago on my first magical trip to Trader Joe's because it was cheap and if it tasted like crap, hey I only wasted 3 bucks. Let me tell you this wine is awesome! Best 3 bucks i've ever spent. Ok now back to the food.

Chow mei fun has always been my favorite because of the thin rice noodles. I always order it spicy, if its not spicy its not right but making it at home is fast and easy! Soak the noodles in warm water for about 10 minutes drain and place on a towel so you get all the water out. While that is happening saute your favorite veggies and then combine. Simple, yummy and ready in about 10 minutes.

Now my beloved spring rolls take a bit more work but once you get the hang of it you will be able to do it in your sleep. Spring Rolls are my favorite because they are not fried, I've never really cared for fried foods. (I'm sure a piece of Bianca's soul just died because I said that. That girl loves her fried food.) Spring rolls are fun because you can add whatever makes you happy. I love bean sprouts in mine,  my son loves tofu sticks in his so I put tofu in his and load up on the bean sprouts for mine.

Here is a recipe, trust me its not as hard as it seems. You can find the rice paper wrapper and noodles at Asian markets. If you can't find the items you need in the market just tell them you want to make spring rolls and they will be happy to help you. I use a mixture of soy sauce and chili garlic sauce to dip mine in. Keithon likes a little Sriracha with his. That's my boy!

Ingredients:

Cellophane noodles (Bean thread noodles) 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar Red or Boston lettuce leaves (leaves separated, rinsed, dried, and tough ribs discarded Fresh mint leaves, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped Fresh basil leaves, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped Fresh cilantro leaves, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped Coarsely shredded carrots Spring Roll Wrappers (rice paper rounds), 8 1/2-inches in diameter**

Preparation:

Cover bean thread noodles with hot water and let soak 15 minutes; drain well in a sieve or colander. Pat dry between paper towels and toss with rice vinegar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

(1) Spring Roll Wrapper or Rice Paper Wrappers come out of the package hard and inedible, and they must be soaked in water before using.

Fill a pie plate or bowl with lukewarm water. Immerse rice paper in warm water for 10 seconds to soften them up just until soft but still flexible (work with one rice paper at a time, being gentle as they break easily when brittle). Remove from water and place rice paper on a kitchen towel and let rest approximately 30 seconds until it's more pliable.

(2) Arrange one piece of lettuce on bottom half of soaked rice paper, folding or tearing to fit and leaving a 1-inch border along edge. Top with some of the seafood, noodles, mint, basil, cilantro, and carrot (don't overfill). Make sure the ingredients are not clumped together in the center, but evenly distributed from one end to the other. Note: The fillings may be placed on the rice paper in any order your desire.

(3) Pressing down on the filling with your fingers (pressing down on the ingredients is particularly important because it tightens the roll), fold the bottom end of the sheet (side nearest you) over the top of the fillings and roll into a cylindrical shape halfway.

(4) Fold the left and right sides inward and complete rolling the remaining half (If rice paper is too dry to seal, moisten unsealed edges with a little more hot water). Transfer summer roll to a plate, seam-side down, and cover with dampened paper towels. Make additional roll in the same manner.

Now a celebration wouldn't be a celebration without a CUPCAKE and Mama loves her cupcakes!  Bianca surprised me last night with this yummy treat from an up and coming vegan baker. Now go whip up some spring rolls, you'll thank me later.

And so it begins!

Hi, my name is Cassi and there are 3 things you should know about me. I'm pretty (at least i think so), i'm vegan and if its pink I WANT IT!

Since today is Saturday, my son allowed me to "sleep in" which means I was able to stay asleep until about 8:30. Since Saturday is cereal day when I did get moving lunch was the first meal prepared. Today was a beautiful and warm November, so I decided to make a fall pasta dish. This dish is loaded with pasta, chickpeas, carrots, mushrooms and while it was warm I tossed in a bit of massaged kale, lemon juice and a bit of coarse sea salt.

My plan today was to stay in and work on the invites for my upcoming cookie club party but my pal Bianca sent me a text telling me about an artist talk at Crosstown Arts. Anytime they host an event i'm always up for going. Like most Crosstown events there were munchies and an open bar because we midtowners like to eat and drink.

What I love most about being a Crosstowner is that we come from all walks of life, which means we eat all types of foods so there are always something vegan in the spread. Tonight there was the vegan stable of hummus and my all time favorite spring rolls. These spring rolls are awesome because they have stips of tofu and mint in them. Normally I'm a wine girl but tonight I opted for beer, mainly because it came for one of our new breweries Wisearce. They make IPA brews. Tonight they had two to choice from. I went for the Amanda, its an India Pale Ale and if you like a strong beer this one is for you. They are located on Broad Ave, so if you are in the area go check them out!