Better Late Than Never...

I was tagged by Ashley of Sound of Silent for a survey. I don't think she realized just how special she made me feel by tagging me! Yay! So by popular request, or at least Ashley's request, here is my survey:


1. What books are on your favorite shelf?
The Harry Potter series, Mrs. Dalloway, and photo albums. I'm kind of a minimalist, and I have moved a lot, so books are usually not kept. The ones I do hang on to are the either ones I will re-read, or ones with hardcore emotional significance. The HP books get re-read a lot, Mrs. Dalloway was a life changer. I hated it at first- now I love it.

2. What DVDs are on your favorite shelf?
So we are super cool and we have all our DVDs in an external hard drive. Meaning we don't have DVDs at all, just data :-) I have to be proud of our technological advances- they're all thanks to my husband. Of our movies, my favorites are the Star Wars movies, all of them. I can watch them over and over. Recently I've wanted to watch WallE, which i haven't seen since it came out. Overall I have a very low tolerance for violence or disturbing thoughts (ex: Clockwork Orange) in movies. That stuff sticks in my mind and bothers me for weeks. Will Smith's I Am Legend gave me nightmares. So I stick to the stuff that isn't obsence. If we start a movie that is too much for me, I stop it and I will not watch any more. I feel that it is important to actively consider what I'm putting into my mind. Watching disturbing stuff conditions people to think it is okay. And I'm not okay with that.

3. What are your two favorite cookbooks?
Diet for a Small Planet- this one's old, but good! It has the best carrot and onion soup recipe. I love homemade soup.
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman. This book is a great resource for how to make all the basics: potatoes, baked beans, black beans, and hundreds of other things. I love that it has several options associated with one basic recipe, so you can choose the option that your family would like most, or do like I do and choose the one that matches whatever ingredients/seasonings you already own.

4. Select 1-3 recipes you will cook for your special guests
I'm currently planning a holiday dinner with friends, so here is what I plan to make. I try to use seasonal food, so you'll notice a lot of root vegetables.
Appetizer: crackers with olive tapenade
Soup Course: Carrot and onion soup
Main Course: mixed green salad, baked sweet potatoes, lentil roast with cranberry sauce, roasted garlic and french bread, and some other TBD vegetable
Dessert: pumpkin pie or brownies and vegan ice cream

5. What will we be drinking that's available?
Rice nog, Champagne, Whatever Trader Joe's white/red wine we currently have, or pumpkin beer (it's a holiday favorite around here)

5 Random Facts:
1. I can't stand tile countertops. I'm now living in my second place with them, and they're just impossible to clean! Food gets stuck in the grout when I try to wipe off the counters. Then the grout gets stained. There's just no winning with tile.
2. I'm an obsessive cleaner and organizer (see Fact #1 for proof)
3. I can fall asleep just about anywhere. Once I fell asleep while getting a filling at the dentist.
4. I'm loving the tv show Modern Family. I think it's hilarious.
5. I like to sew. I love being able to make useful stuff like curtains and pillows.

That's it! Now you know me a bit better, I hope.