Meatless Monday: St. Pat's treats for St. Pat's date night

Hello! Hello! Well, I am back from a head-spinningly-fast Spring Break--fairly rested, and ready to tackle the rest of this semester. I hope that you had a great week last week, enjoyed some spring weather, and got (maybe a little?) rest, too.

Even though this weekend was a frantic shuck-and-dive routine, trying to get all my last minute to-dos taken care of before crashing back into the swing of things, Jake and I did have a fun little date night on Saturday. We sat on our little deck, sipping Irish cocktails, nibbling on Irish cheddar and chatting a bit with our neighbors. Then, we took a long walk around the park to soak in the beautiful, mild spring evening. 

I thought I'd share with you a couple of the treats I made for our St. Patrick's day date night. Neither have meat...but I have to confess that I definitely made a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner (in my crock pot, no less!), so there was meat hanging around...

But not in these beauties:

These vegan dark chocolate stout brownies have really made the rounds on blogs and pinboards, and they look so great in the photo that I just had to try them. Plus, let's face it, I was buying Guinness anyway... The blackbeans were surprisingly silent partners in this recipe--I don't taste them in the brownies at all. I do, however, notice them in the texture. This recipe makes for a cakey, really substantial-feeling brownie. You're really getting your protein with these puppies. I'm so glad I added the optional chocolate chips--they really make the brownies (as in, I think it is what moves your brain from the "I'm eating a vegan bread" train of thought to the "I'm eating a brownie" train).

Our Irish cocktails were called Irish bucks. I found this recipe for the fizzy drinks, which turned out very festive. I wondered, though, if the drink was related in any way to the Moscow mule, a cocktail that is almost exactly the same, except sub in vodka for the Irish whiskey.

What about you? Any festive foods (with or without meat) that you tried out over the weekend?

Carnival of Dads

For Father's Day, we had a fun-filled weekend celebrating with both of our dads. That is one of the coolest things about living near family--you get to be around for all the days, the every-day-days and the fun, special ones, too.

Saturday, we took my father-in-law to a great brew pub in Ann Arbor, the Jolly Pumpkin.

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We got a sampler of some really interesting beers, including a gluten free IPA and a brew made with spinach! The spinach beer was, indeed, very green. But cold, it turned out to be thick, and slightly sweet.

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I tried the Hibmajishtee--a wheat beer with hibiscus. It tasted so crisp and clean, like tea and beer combined. All-in-all, it was a leisurely, lovely meal. Afterwards, we took a walk around Ann Arbor. My brother-in-law, who graduated from U of M, took us to the law quad...

...it was really pretty and oldy-worldly. I felt like I was back in Oxford. We got to peek inside the Law Library as well. So cool!

Sunday we hung out with my dad. We sat on the deck, noshing on olives and a new wine my mom got to try. The weather was PER-fect. Everything was just easy, relaxing. We barbecued steaks and the hubs and the brother-in-law played chess. 

My dad and I have a special relationship. He's my mentor, my hero, and a goofy antagonist (stop tying my socks in knots, already!!). We can talk about almost anything, and we share a lot of interests. 

Dancing on my wedding day.

Goofing off together.

Chatting at Jake's autumn exhibition.

A big classical music buff, my dad got me into Fantasia when I was little. So, for Father's Day, I got him special Fantasia blu-ray pack from us. Evening's entertainment? Covered. 

I loved the piece with the whales, set to "the Pines of Rome" by Respighi. Sooo magical. (though the hubs was a bit disappointed that they weren't "space whales" after all.)

We all agreed that the "Rhapsody in Blue" animation was friggin' cool. Plus, the narrative was complex and sweet.  

But, I think my favorite was the Carnival of the Animals--a quirky, short, and funny bit that supposedly answers the question, "What happens when you give a yo-yo to a flock of flamingoes?" Fabulousness, that's what.

What a fun weekend! How did it go for you?

Cinco De Mayo =

This

+  this

for dinner. 

Ole!