Moth News

Hyalophora cecropia - North America's largest native moth was found in the Illinois backyard of our member, tofunutloaf. 

Click here to see the wonderful things in tofunutloaf's shop.

Variety is the Spice

CLICK HERE TO GO TO INTERACTIVE TREASURY PAGE.

Lunch in NYC

I had the pleasure of having lunch with tofunutloaf, creator of the 'bots and the monsters, and her husband, Bob, in NYC. She had the stars of her movies with her and would you believe it, I forgot to ask for autographs.

Tuesday Tinker - tofunutloaf

Introducing one of tofunutloaf's robots.

One might think that, with a clock on her chest, Leota would be punctual to all events. This has not proven to be the case, however....  for more details of Leota's life and problems check out tofunutloaf's store.

Thursdays Recipe Corner

Today's tasty toast recipe is brought to you by the appropriately named Tofunutloaf on etsy.com. If you are a fan of breadyness, she has a mascot for you. Meet the Burger Bott who is cute enough to eat.
And now for the eats.

Yeah, I'm writing up how to make toast. But, this was really awesome toast, and really awesome toast is not an everyday occurrence. You will not find this toast at any fancy brunch, or on a high-class continental breakfast buffet, or in any fancy breakfast spot anywhere. It can only be had by searching out (or making) the best local food around. To have this incredible toast experience, you will need:

1 thick slice of amazing bread
really good fresh goat cheese
The best honey you can muster

Toast bread. Spread with the desired amount of goat cheese, and drizzle with honey. Eat.

If you happen to be near the Greater Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area, and would like to experience this toast as I did, you will need:

1 thick slice Mirabelle honey walnut bread
Prairie Fruits Herbs de Provence chevre
honey from Sasse's Apiary

Toast bread. Spread with the desired amount of goat cheese, and drizzle with honey. Eat. Toast more bread, spread with goat cheese, and drizzle with honey. Eat.

Tuesday Tinker - tofunutloaf

Presenting one of tofunutloaf's famous robots.

Leota is, sadly, a robot who is never on time.

Browse Tofunutloaf's shop and meet her other robots.
.

Sunday Supplement - On Location with Our Next Tuesday Tinker

tofunutloaf, who makes and sells robots, block prints, cards and paper, enjoys canoeing on the many lakes and rivers around her part of the country, the Republic of Urbana. Here are two picture she took while out on one of her canoe trips.

Visit tofunutloaf's shop and enjoy her creations.

The Recipe Corner - Not-Too-Godawful-Sweet Mango Chutney

3 ripe mangoes
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
chopped garlic
chopped ginger
cloves, cayenne, and cinnamon to taste
a bit of brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Peel and cut mangoes into small chunks. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for maybe 40 minutes, or until the vinegar and sugar have turned into a bubbling mass of caramelized goodness and the mangoes are nice and soft. Serve it hot or cold. Serves 3-4 if you're lucky.


Recipe compliments of tofunutloaf.

The Recipe Corner - Evil Genius Mac and Cheese

1/2 lb uncooked macaroni or chunky pasta, give or take
1/2  onion, chopped
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
oil for sauteing
4 oz of really awesome cheese, grated
generous pinches of the herb/seasoning of your choice. I like curry powder myself
salt and pepper to taste
milk and yogurt to equal approximately 2 cups, give or take

topping:
1/3 heaping cup breadcrumbs
grated parmesan

Heat oven to 375F and grease an 8 or 9-inch baking dish.

Saute onions until soft, then add garlic and saute for a few more minutes. In a mixing bowl, mix pasta, really awesome cheese, and enough milk and yogurt to just cover the pasta when stirred in (you want to be able to tell it's still in there). Add other ingredients, including onions and garlic, and pour into baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and parmesan.

Bake for 45-55 min, or until it's browned on top and not bubbling anymore.


Servers 4 to 6.


Recipe compliments of tofunutloaf.

The Recipe Corner - Basic Roasted Root Vegetables

We made something approximating this for dinner. It was yummy.

You need enough chopped root vegetables to fill a medium-sized mixing bowl, with a little room to stir.
1 head garlic
1/2 onion, chopped and sauteed
olive oil
a few splashes of white wine
salt and pepper to taste
herbs

Select roots to roast. In this particular instance, the vegetable culprits turned out to be potatoes, part of a celeriac bulb, a rutabaga, carrots, and half a very large fennel (yes, I know fennel is a modified stem and not a root, but fennel and roots tend to very congenial with each other). Other yummy roots include a variety of beets, parsnips, turnips, sunchokes, and um, any number of other vegetables that I'm not thinking of at the moment.

Once you have chopped your selected root vegetables, mix with all other ingredients, pour into a large baking dish, and roast for 50 minutes at 375-400. Stir sometime around 30 minutes. 


Recipe compliments of tofunutloaf.

The Recipe Corner - Tabouli

Tabouli 1 cup bulgur wheat 1 cup boiling water olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1/2 bunch parsley handful of fresh mint 1 cucumber 1 large tomato, or 2 medium ones juice of 1 lemon more olive oil salt and pepper to taste Toast bulgur in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. It'll start to become fragrant after a couple of minutes, so go ahead and add the water. Cover the pan with a lid, turn off the heat under it, and let steam for 20 minutes. While the bulgur is contemplating it's future as a tasty foodstuff, chop remaining ingredients. When bulgur has absorbed all the water, add garlic, olive oil and lemon juice to it. Cover and let sit for a few minutes, until it has cooled off a bit. Add parsley, mint, and cucumber, and then put in the fridge to let it cool until you're ready to eat it. Upon removing the tabouli from the fridge, add tomatoes and adjust seasonings. Eat. From tofunutloaf.

The Recipe Corner - Veggie Sandwich

For this recipe you need to gather a favorite vegetable or two. It is a bit unusual but excellent. By itself it makes a great lunch; combined with a good soup it makes a big meal.

Good bread
Avocado
A crisp vegetable or two
Goat cheese
Mustard or pesto or BBQ sauce (or whatever)


For each sandwich use two slices of good bread, toasted. Slice or mash 1/2 avocado; layer or spread onto one piece of toast. Slice your favorite crisp vegetable and layer that on top of the avocado. Add goat cheese and then the sauce of your choice. Add second slice of toast and enjoy.

From tofunutloaf

Tuesday Tinker - tofunutloaf

Tofu Nutloaf lives in the Republic of Urbana and specializes in creating robots with unusual views of the universe and reality. She also makes block prints and cards featuring  Cephalopoda such as squid and octopi.

The following quote is from her profile on her Etsy store. "Tofu Nutloaf comes up with the best, most interesting theories in the known universe. Whether they ultimately turn out to be a reflection of reality is of no concern."

Tofu is also fond of strange vegetables and is apt to mention them at random intervals on facebook.

Browse Tofu Nutloaf's shop.

Conipitions at the Canoe

Out member, tofunutloaf, has made a series of movies staring three of her robots. In recent films, they have been joined by three monsters. This, her latest effort, focuses on the doings of all six and a few of their friends. So, sit back, enjoy, and pass the popcorn.

Click to View.