What do you really want?
Please take a moment to let me know what you want to see more of- if there is more than one thing you’d like to see please leave me comments- I would love your feed back.
Random Blog Post: Fire Ops 101
Warning this post is a bit random and does not have anything to do with the usual themes on my blog.
Monday I participated in the Fire Ops 101 program that my boss along with members were putting on. I was asked if I wanted to participate as well and jumped at the chance; I work for firefighters so it only seemed natural that I should I should walk a day in their shoes-literally and figuratively.
The Fire Ops program is for elected and appointed officials as well as members of the media. This daylong program includes hands-on fire fighting and rescue operations under controlled supervision of professional fire fighters and paramedics. Participants learn exactly how challenging it is to keep our communities safe. This workshop demonstrates many aspects of fire and emergency medical service operations, from suiting up in the proper protective gear to putting out fires. Each of the four scenarios will give participants the opportunity to do what fire fighters and paramedics face on a day-to-day basis. Each participant learns how to use self contained breathing apparatus, essential to breathing in heavy smoke. Participants also learn to battle a live fire and be given instruction on how to respond to anticipated events of fire behavior such as flashover.
This was one of the best experiences of my life- I have found a job I love and have even more appreciation for the people I work for. I hope that this was interesting you-I will be back to my normal blogging tomorrow. For now here are a few photos from my experience.
Coming out of the burn building
Hydrating-the gear weighs so much and being a fire fighter is exhausting
EMT station
using the big tools (that weighed a ton my arms are killing me)
My New Project
I have exciting news! I have started a new project creating my first e-book. I am really excited about it and have been busy working on recipes and getting my testing site up. I have a great group of testers who have jumped right in and have been providing great feedback. So what exactly is this e-book all about?
If you guessed soups, stews and chili’s then you are correct! This first ever Cook.Vegan.Lover. e-book will be filled with a wonderful variety of soups, stews and chili’s to warm you up this fall and winter. I hope to have it completed by mid-November.
G-Ma The Cougar
Saturday started out with a run with the Hubz and then our Saturday bagel tradition. Then we were on our way to meet my parents, grandma, aunt, uncle and cousin for a picnic at Avery’s Gorge. Today is my grandma aka G-Ma’s 79th birthday. She is quite the character and full of stories like the one she was telling us today about her “cougar cousin” who is turning 75 soon and how she has a boyfriend who is 20 years younger.
As we sat down to lunch today everyone was picking there seats and G-Ma was asked if she wanted to sit by the Hubz and her response was “yeah because I’m a cougar”- as I am typing this I realize that the hilariousness may not be coming through to you but my g-ma is pretty conservative, however she has her moments where she throws you off guard like this time (I didn’t even know she knew what a cougar was). Another time she did this was when she got mad at my father at a family gathering because he was picking on her and she jokingly said “i’m going to hit you with a baseball bat” (mind you she is the kindest lady ever and she was joking). Anyways the remainder of the day was filled with us making jokes about her “cougarness” and I am sure just like the baseball comment she won’t be living this one down either.
Lunch today was a tofurky sandwich, salad and bbq “health crackers” aka chips.
After our picnic we headed back to my aunt’s for some cards, raspberry pie, and coffee.
My aunt made Neil and I our own little vegan raspberry pie - we didn't like it at all
Happy Birthday G-Ma We Love You!
Art Hopping
After a crazy week at work it was nice to come home to these yummy treats:
Hail Merry sent me a few of their treats to sample for my OpenSky Shop . I immediately decided to try the blonde macaroons which are raw, vegan and gluten free and AMAZING! I am a huge fan of raw macaroons and should really make them more often but these are certainly a great treat!
I wasn’t feeling to hot in the morning so I finished my work and headed home to rest for awhile. When the Hubz got home he convinced me to get out and go to the South End Burlington Art Hop with him. I was as little reluctant at first since I still wasn’t feeling great but went anyways. We ended up having a great time and the fresh air and walk around town seemed to be just what I needed. After a while we got hungry and we decided to get some food.
Neil with his I'm hungry face on.
Downtown was crowded so I suggested that we try Miguel’s since it was near the water, away from the crowds, and we had never been there before. We decided to sit outside since although cool out it was a beautiful night.
We started off with the special margarita of the night: prickly pear
We also snacked on a few chips and salsa but we were good and didn’t have too many and spoil our dinners.
For my entree I got the Tres Tacos with the vegetarian chili which was delicious and filled with bulgar, sweet potatoes and beans- with my tacos came pinto beans, rice, pickled onions, lettuce and tomato.
The Hubz got the portobello fajitas which were amazing! He was kind enough to give me one and in return I gave him one of my tacos.
Overall this place was amazing! We had great food, great service and a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy it all in (and the company wasn’t half bad either).
Q&A with Juliet Mae’s
I just added Juliet Mae’s Indian Spice Sampler to my Opensky shop;Buy Now
Below is a brief Q&A I did with Kathy from Juliet Mae’s, ENJOY!
1. Why did you decide to partner up with OpenSky?
I elected to partner with Open Sky because I was interested in expanding “our reach” into the food community.
We make a true artisan product. We put a lot of effort into each item we make. We are all about quality, quality
quality. Because of the high quality, ease of use and creative potential of the product, bloggers can recommend our products with
the assurance that their readers will have a good experience. I feel that this type of marketing is the most effective, because
the blogger format tends to be effective when the blogger creates and presents an authentic voice.
In short, I feel my product helps to underscore a bloggers credibility because Juliet Mae has its own authentic voice.
2. What was the inspiration behind Juliet Mae’s Spices?
I really like to use good quality ingredients when I cook. It seems to me if you are going to go to trouble of preparing a meal for friends or family,
you want to give it your best Juliet Mae came about from playing around with flavors and trying to recreate a restaurant experience at home.
I taught myself how to make spice blends by remaking my classic curry blend over and over and over. I did a lot or research on spices, on various cuisines and
on packaging. I made my first few packs and give them as gifts to friends- they were a big hit and we went from there.
But at the end of the day, it is all about creating a great dining experience both in the kitchen and at the table.
3. What is your favorite spice blend?
Like a Chinese mother, I think all my children are beautiful. Seriously, I like all of them or I wouldn’t sell them. I find it difficult to make blends from ingredients I do not like, as I just can’t abide the aroma- which makes it almost impossible to blend!
5. Do you have a favorite recipe for one of the spice mixes from the Indian Sampler that you would like to share?
5) The Cool Vindaloo is loaded with mustard and makes a nice seasoning for salad dressing.
just add about 1 teaspoon to minced shallot, good evoo, champagne vinegar and chopped parsley. mix well and
drizzel over mixed greens.
Cook.Vegan.Lover. Photo Shoot
The other day my and the Hubz shirts came from Spreadshirt and I am so in love with them….I also sent a special surprise item to my care package partner. Here are the photos from the Hubz Cook.Vegan.Lover. photo shoot:
If you are interested in shirts, sweaters, bags and aprons – spread the love and visit my new SpreadShirt shop!
Great news going on right now on Cook.Vegan.Lover.! You can get a Netbook/Laptop Sleeve for FREE! from my Spreadshirt Shop
A minimum order of $40 will qualify you for a free laptop sleeve:
Important: In order for you to use the coupon code and only when one of the netbook or laptop sleeves is added to the basket, will you be able to use the coupon code.
The coupon codes FREESLEEVE (for the U.S.) or CADFREESLEEVE (for Canada) are valid from September 6th through October 1st, 2010.
