A Vegetarian Italian?

Is it a sin? I am not a fan of coffee; my italian tutor, Gina, tells me that is a sin. Maybe eating mostly vegetarian is a sin in Italy too, but I like the way it makes me feel. I have made peace with the chicken, but after eating it I always feel so heavy. I am blessed to have a wonderful farm close to home, Take Root Farm in Buckley, where I pick up a box of fresh fruit and vegetables every week. Then, I challenge myself like in the show "Chopped" to take those ingredients and make something wonderful. I find it is much more economical to eat vegetarian than to include animal proteins daily. I love eating the season's produce, which is extremely healthy for you. Today I used tangerines to make a salad of mixed greens, tangerines, cranberries, pecan and baked apples. Panera Bread Fuji Apple salad dressing is amazing over this.

But of course, in my vegetarian world, there is always room for dessert. So tonight, the first batch of Christmas cookies were made and ready for decorating!

I live in the cutest town of Enumclaw, WA. It is straight out of a Hallmark movie. On Saturday nights in December, they even have "snow" falling!

And after an evening walk to enjoy the Christmas lights, the Shep is still not worn out! (The fluff all over the floor is the latest stuffed animal which has met a sudden and violent death by shredding.