I have had my head in the books (or…in the computer?) all.

day.

long.

While I’m really glad that I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel that is midterms, after 5+ hours of straight schoolwork, the time comes where you just gotta loosen up.

And by loosen up I mean “learn how to operate a wine opener thingermajob.”

Luckily, I still have both of my eyeballs. That was a scary operation.

I have been gifted a gigantic bottle of (homemade) red wine.

It’s a good thing it’s homemade – I like knowing who’s feet are in my beverage.

Oh, wait – that’s not how it’s done anymore?

Bummer.

I suppose having a larger-than-average bottle of wine sitting on the kitchen counter could be quite tempting for most college kids…but I’m a bit at a loss.

I don’t much care for red wine.

I might give a stab at baking chocolate brownies with it. But until then, there is “tofu au vin.”

I am not “joshing” you. And truth be told, I don’t even know if this might be viewed as gross since I honestly have absolutely no clue what “goes” with red wine and what doesn’t. I also have no idea what the “laws” are for cooking with wine.

I just know I have a lot to use, and preferably in ways where it doesn’t taste like I’m drinking red wine.

Because obviously, that makes a lot of sense.

I honestly had no idea what to expect this to taste like, and had no idea if it would even be edible.

Luckily, it was more than edible. I loved it! The wine taste was very faint, but pleasant – and a nice change from the usual tofu I make. I just had mine alongside some sweet potato wedges (it’s been two days without them, I couldn’t go any longer!) and my mom made herself some pasta and put it on top. When I saw her doing that I couldn’t help but think “oooh! That’s a good idea!”

It’d probably be an even better idea to make drunken pasta by boiling your pasta in some red wine. Isn’t that a Rachey-Ray thing? Yeah, I’ve got Rachael Ray issues .

And while we’re on the topic of incorporating things we’re not too crazy about into edible meals, lets talk about avocado.

I don’t care how good it is for me, I don’t like avocado! It can give me wings and make me fly? So what, Teddie can do that when he’s feeling good, too.

Hardy har har. Luckily, he hasn’t yet taught me about gravity yet, but my day will come.

Taking inspiration from both Averie’s mousse and Jenny’s smoothie , I purchased an avocado last week.

Said avocado was still sitting in my fridge up until earlier, when I finally realized its time had come and if I didn’t do anything with it today, it was going to stare at me, rotting in the depths of my crisper drawer, until the end of time.

And so, taking still more inspiration from the blogosphere, and totally craving a milkshake thanks to Katie , I did it up.

The result? A very “curious” combination. I didn’t want to use any sweetener, and while it’s obvious there’s something in there other than banana, it’s not a “ew I’m drinking avocado” feeling, but more of a “huh, what is that? I think it’s good. Actually, I think it’s really good!” sensation.

Or maybe I’m just odd.

In case you couldn’t tell, I was feeling the “Mounds Shake” vibe, though halfway through after tasting it, thought it would make a bomb peppermint shake. The avocado almost gave it a hint of mint, and the greenish color only made it seem even more-so. I’ll have to take hint from Katie’s shamrock shake and do that tomorrow with the remaining avocado!

And, lastly; waffles.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but all I’ve been craving for lunches lately are sweet-ish things. I’ve basically been having two breakfasts this week instead of breakfast > lunch. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’ve been home, and not needing to pack stuff for work, but it’s getting a little out of hand.

At least, (luckily) I can’t say I am too heavy handed with adding sugar, as I rarely add anything even to the batter and these were just topped with some crofters, earth balance and cashew butter – but it is a little odd for me.

Maybe it’s because I eat half my body weight in baby carrots while I’m trying to decide what I want for lunch and dinner, and continuing to eat them while I cook?

Yeah, I’ll go with that…

Either way, these waffles were a good reminder for me. I love waffles…and I’ve been neglecting them entirely too much as of late.

Do you have any recipes that use red wine that don’t revolve around red wine? Or – have you ever cooked with red wine?

Avocado: yay or nay? I might be coming around. If it’s disguised well, at least

Is there a food that you hate that everyone else seems to love? Besides avocados, I don’t get cucumbers or zucchini. Though I guess I don’t see tons of people loving on either of those things…but I can’t think of anything else.