Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

VEGGIE HOLIDAY WREATH This recipe was adapted from the Pampered Chef catalog in Fall/Winter 2000. What was once an experiment to get our family to try a vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving, has become a hit among our family members! They now request the "veggie wreath" every Thanksgiving and Christmas, and are even making it on their own now. Check out  more delicious recipes  and subscribe to our  FREE Almost Monthly Newsletter  to get a new recipe (and lots more RV camping tips, hacks, and resources) in your inbox each month! Combine the following ingredients the night before you make this dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight: 1/2 cup choppe d celery 3/4 cup dried cranberries or tart cherries 8 oz Swiss cheese 2 cup chopped pecans (toasted if you want) 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped and sautéed 8 veggie sausage patties, cooked and crumbled 3/4 cup mayonnaise (or vegan cashew aioli) 2-3 TBSP honey Dijon 1 tsp cracked pepper salt to taste The followi...

As I scan the two folding tables assembled in an “L” formation and covered in a mouthwatering collection of savory dishes and sweet rolls, I see all kinds of opportunities to fill my plate with first and second helpings. Our extended family holds a big Thanksgiving gathering at a small church in central Ohio, where it’s easy for a vegetarian to find more than enough to satisfy. I’ll be passing on the turkey and gravy, despite how good it smells, but I will certainly not go hungry. But what if it’s come down to you setting a more intimate table with fewer options.. and your daughter is bringing her new husband who doesn’t eat meat?  Don't panic!  Imagine your typical holiday dinner, and you’ll likely see plenty to offer anyone with fewer carnivorous leanings: mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, rolls, and even stuffing can be made vegetarian if you don’t mind using veggie bouillon, and baking it outside of the bird. Of course, you can easily supplement the...

I’m moving through the aisle in the local grocery store, looking for where they've hidden the coffee creamer; in front of me sits a giant shopping basket, like a bathtub, full of evaporated milk cans.   At first blush, this impulse buy display strikes me as very odd.   When was the last time I impulsively bought evaporated milk?   Then I remember, “It’s October and pie season is just a few weeks away.” When we think of challenges to living sustainably, food waste is probably not one of the first things that comes to mind.   But, it’s no coincidence that this issue of Sustainability Sundays comes as we all prepare to slide into the relaxed waistband of feasting season.   Holiday food excess wouldn’t be such a problem if it didn’t spill over into the whole year, like holiday marketing itself.   According to the climate change resource,  Project Drawdown ,  ne arly one third of all edible food gets wasted and that waste accounts for near...

" Living simply is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. It's about living an examined life where one has determined what is truly important and enough…and then just let go of all the rest." ~ Duane Elgin, Author & Speaker Nine years ago this week, we made a decision that changed the course of our lives.  The simple click of a “submit bid” button on eBay for a quirky hunting trailer in questionable condition and built during the Eisenhower administration brought about a cascade of events that has reconfigured our life expectations. Living more simply and sustainably was a big part of why we chose to leave the typical American lifestyle behind.  After years of trying to balance two demanding careers, maintain a traditional house on a couple of acres, limit our expenses, green our lives, save for retirement, go on vacation, visit family and friends, we realized that we simply sucked at it, the balancing act.  Sorry America, it’s not ...