keekies.......

I am not Vegan. I have nothing against vegans, however the only thing that I am weary about the whole thing is not eating completely nutritional sustenance. This is stemmed from a story i remember from a friend of mine in High school. Her mother was vegan for a very long time and mal-nutritioned herself. As a result in her old age she made frequent trips to the hospital, lost all of her hair, and became incredibly weak. What i like about it? The diet forces one to seek alternative sources of protein besides meat, which as an American society we eat far too much meat and drink too many calories, With that said.
My great friend Mama C has asked me to create my white sauce lasagna recipe in a vegan form. This sista seriously loves the White Sauce Lasagna. Tomorrow I am setting off on such an endeavor. I am ready. A little nervous being that I am a cheese fiend and I know there is no way this is going to exactly taste like my favorite Italian meal. However, open mind, open heart, open taste buds....we will see how it turns out.
The first time i experienced White Sauce Lasagna, it wasn't an taste-experience it was a aesthetic experience of beauty. Being a vegetarian verge pescatarian, The meat dish in a tradition Italian meal lay out doesn't put out for me....I ate a lot of white beans and in this occasion a HUGE hunk of Pecorino Tuscano. Yes a rather large chunk. This was the best cheese I could have imagined and I was in Orvieto, Tuscany where Pecorino originated. OMG! to die for and I will never forget that taste. The creaminess, the subtle sheep milk flavor, the smooth texture, the Huge. Hunk. of cheese. for. ME!

So keep posted and wish me luck!

Oooooo, so remember the baking soda mural on my little mans floor during nap time?
We are trying to head out for a morning bike ride to breakfast, tiny-sauce is getting a diaper change and dressed, papa has medium-sauce dressed in a cute yellow shirt and pants, I am just pulling over my shirt when I hear,
"keekies mama. keekies" (ie cookies)
"no cookies, honey, we are heading to eat breakfast. hold on one sec-ola."
"keekies, mama. keekies"
**I smell chocolate**
--so like most mamas I hide things from the kiddos in my bedroom. My underwear drawer houses a blue china bowl my good friend Morgan's mama gave me when i left for college, a jar of Ghirardelli chocolate powder.....and let's hult there--
SCREEEEECH! put on the breaks.
I stop in the hallway to find a large pile of chocolate on the floor. O it smells good and the extent of it is gone for use. He then proceeds to help me clean it up by smearing the dry substance all over the floor.
It happens again. Mural number II.
.....I cleaned up part of it before it dawned on me to photograph this piece of art.