ANN ARBOR.

Well, I'm here. I'm just starting "American Pastoral" (Philip Roth) which I actually bought at a Friends of the Library bookstore before going to China! It's been crazy hectic moving my entire life out to the midwest, but I did it. I'm just putting the finishing touches on my room. It's the first time in six years that I've had a full sized bed. The past few years I've been sleeping in a twin bed, which isn't bad, but bigger beds equals infinitely more fun.

Although I haven't been reading too much, I have been starting to cook again! I've just spent way too much money getting my kitchen started here, buying spices and grains from various bulk food bins so I don't have to continuously buy materials. Two dishes I've made recently:

Chana Masala, recipe available here: smittenkitchen. The granola recipe I heavily adapted from a Cooking Light recipe by veganizing and adding a few more nuts to the mix. Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 cup EACH of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, dried cranberries, and unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds
• 1/3 cup apple juice + 1/3 cup whole flax seeds
• 2 generous tsp of coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• sprinkling of salt
  

The oven should be preheated to 300 degrees F (because Celsius would be ridiculous, non?). I combined the apple juice and flax seeds in a blender to get a mix. For vegan baking, flax seeds bind! No egg need. Put that mixture into a bowl, and add the rest of the wet ingredients; stir well. Then add the dry ingredients SANS CRANBERRIES, and mix. Place onto pan, and into the oven it goes! I stir every five minutes or so, because I never time stuff, and also because I can't leave well enough alone. In the last five minutes of cooking, I upped the temperature to 330 degrees F to get a nice brown coating on top. Add the cranberries into the granola. Ta da. It's SO GOOD. I had a cup with some almond milk.

Okay, I have got to get my butt into motion and do some crosstraining. I just got a road bike, and while it's super cute it is utilizing muscles I did not know existed and I'm sore and I've got the half marathon in a few short weeks. Yikes.

xoxo from Michigan,
t