Memories of a Gala, and pancakes.

Xtina and I are both May babies. May is a great month--perhaps one of my favorites. May is NOT a good month for birthdays. For various reasons that change with age, it's just a very busy time for people. My birthday, for instance, always falls around or (for the past two years) directly on U of M's graduation. Nobody can go out. Ergo, I spent the whole afternoon post-work with Xtina laughing at how silly it all was.



The days preceding the birthday were fun, because I got to do some baking. I made some cake and some cupcakes (carrot, from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World!). Xtina, of course, was over while this was happening. There was leftover frosting from the cupcakes, which inspired the creation of lunch:

Carrot Pancakes
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
3/4 to 1 cup non-dairy milk (depending on whether or not your batter is too thick/too runny. You decide)
About 2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp safflower oil
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Leftover "cream cheese" (made with Tofutti) frosting



Mix all of those dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Start warming up your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Mix in the wet ingredz. Don't overmix--just enough to incorporate. It's pancakes, so you want to see the clumps in the batter. Finally, mix in the carrot and walnuts. Melt a tablespoon of butter substitute in the pan, and spread it about. Drop on batter by 1/3 cup scoops, cook until bubbles start coming up, flip, and cook some more. Replace the fakey-butter every now and again to make sure all your pancakes are getting some. Plate them up, and smother them with frosting. Victory!



After Xtina and I spent the whole afternoon sitting around my place of employment doing nothing, we went out for my birthday dinner at Grizzly Peak in downtown Ann Arbor. I've gone to this restaurant 3 or 4 years in a row for my birthday, because it's delicious and they give you a complimentary dessert, a ten dollar gift card, and a Grizzly Peak glass for all of your at-home drinking. We sat outside, ate enough for six, and reminisced about last year when we decided to have a joint birthday party themed the Ganandorf Gala (Ocarina of Time, anyone?) to which almost nobody came to, and those who did come fought a little bit. We laughed about it, then it started raining and we were the only ones who remained sitting outside. Naturally, we laughed about this, too. Ultimately, I can't say it was a bad time. Sitting around with my best pal and eating in the rain is enough for me.

"A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved." -K. Vonnegut