Living in Loo's Life...

...it was nearly a month ago that my last post went up, . Alas, Loo-life has recently become slightly busier but not all for bad reasons. I look back and remember that this last month has been filled with adventures...the least of which include, of course, food!

In the short version of a recap, we went to a fantastic dinner party where a friend sliced off the top of a bottle of champagne with a sword in honor of our engagement...another friend moved in with her boyfriend (lots and lots and lots of flights of stairs)!...I started a different job - much improved upon my initial jump back into the world of suits, I now have my own office with a view...I sent my fiancee on a scavenger hunt to locate his engagement ring (guys with engagement rings are totally hot!)...and last but not least, we have decided to buy a condo/house in Salem and I have spent a considerable amount of time researching.

Other than that, I think the remainder of my free time has been spent decanting from work, cooking and going to sleep at obsurdly early hours - some would swear I am a 50 year old woman stuck in a 26 year old body! And I have a personal vendetta out to the tv executive who though 10pm was a good time slot for Project Runway...how unfair!

In other news, we have decided to push the wedding to 2011 as both my fiancee and I have absolutely no intention of letting a wedding ceremony rule our lives and run us into a frenzy...in the end, all we really want is a super fun party with our favorite people. Which to us can only mean a few things - victorian garb, a castle, amazing food and steampunk! I look forward to many hours of project-time creating fun additions to wow our guests! And if anyone knows any good vegan/vegetarian caterers in the Boston area...shout it out!

The first PROJECT post will be up soon (cloth napkins); however, in the meantime, I am going to post 3 great soup/stew recipes. I know we are coming to the end of the cold/rainy season - so try these soon! Don't forget to post comments if you try a recipe out...

And lastly, whether you're a vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, carnist or just plain human - I really recommend reading, "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows: An Introduction into Carnism, " by Melanie Joy. She takes a refreshing look at the age old debate between those who don't eat meat and those who do - her attempt is to create a line of communication between the various categories of consumption so that while we may all have different ways of approaching what we eat, we can all understand each other in a better way.

I bid you adieu for now and leave you with these recipes...