My good friend Carolyn at Hooked and Happy is giving away another copy of Peas and Thank You. Head over to her great blog and enter to win this fabulous vegan cookbook! Good luck!
The Epicurean Vegan Gets Crafty
Well, I’ve always liked to do crafty stuff—it’s that domineering right side of my brain. Somehow, I found the time to get a couple things done this weekend. So first, I’ll share with you a card I (sort of) made for fellow writer and jewelry-maker extraordinaire, Michelle Mach of Beads and Books. Michelle makes incredible and unique jewelry, much of it related to readers, writers and writing, like these fabulous mini book pendants.
Michelle also does beautiful embossed cards and sent them out to lucky readers of her blog—with a challenge. Decorate them, send her a photo of it, and enter to win an Amazon gift card! I got my card in too late for the drawing (because I procrastinate really well), but be sure to check out the amazing cards other readers made.
I really liked the simplicity of the alphabet card, so I just added some cut out hearts from some handmade paper.
To see more of Michelle’s wonderful jewelry, stop by her Etsy shop and have a look!
My second crafty endeavor of the weekend was a DIY bulletin board. I really needed one for my office because I kept losing my Post-It notes among all the other junk on my desk. I have to send props out to my mom who gave me this idea.
Materials:
An artist canvas (found in craft stores)
Fabric
Staple gun
Basically, wrap the fabric around the canvas, pulling tight on the edges, as you staple it to back of the wooden frame of the canvas.
It really is that simple.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to fabrics and there are a so many different sizes of canvases that you’re bound to find one that will fit your needs.
🙂
Pay it Forward . . . Please
I just returned from the grocery store and I wanted to share with all of you something that occurred. A young woman in line next me could not afford all of her groceries. Her cart held a few leftover items like produce, eggs, toiletries. It broke my heart. I edged over and offered to pay for the rest, but she refused to let me, saying, “It’s ok, really.” When the woman left, the customer who was in line behind her, said to me, “Maybe you shouldn’t have done that; it just embarrassed her.”
Ouch! Well of course that wasn’t my intention and I apologize if I did that, but is that the new excuse for not helping out a fellow human? “Oh, I might embarrass them.” If that’s true, what a depressing state of mankind. I told the woman this and she shrugged. If it wasn’t my turn in line, I would have found a box to stand on, grab the intercom and said, “Can I get a reality check at register 12?” I said I wouldn’t ever apologize for offering to help someone out and that perhaps by seeing me extend a hand, someone else will offer help to a person in need.
This woman had a small child with her and I found it sad that she’d rather teach her child to be apathetic, than show him the importance of paying it forward.
Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for what I have. I live a pretty comfortable life that allows me to stay at home, write, cook, buy my kid nice clothes, etc. I don’t offer to help people because I want a pat on the back. I do it because it’s the right thing to do. Plain and simple. When I was 21, I stood in the Medicaid/Welfare line carrying my newborn son in a car carrier. I was a single parent and I know how difficult, if not impossible it is to get ahead when you don’t have money. I was lucky that my parents could help, but if I didn’t have their support, I would hope someone would at least offer to help—whether I was willing to take it or not.
This incident reminds me of a documentary I saw a few weeks ago called “I Am.” It asks the questions, What is wrong with the world and how can we fix it?
It is a powerful movie with an incredible message that I think we all need to hear.
Maybe I overstepped my societal boundaries at the store today—I don’t know. I hope not. And I hope we haven’t come to that as a community, as a society, or as a race.
What do you think?
Another fun cooking class . . . and a contest!
It was another fun cooking class last night where participants learned to make several appetizers and the Creamy Macaroni with Cashew Cheese. My good friend, Carolyn from Hooked and Happy came–have you checked out her blog yet? Now’s a great time! Head over to her site and tell her your best “good-gifts-gone-bad” experience and you could win a $25 Amazon gift card–just in time for the holidays.
Thanks to everyone who came to the class last night!
My First Cooking Class
Last night I hosted my first vegan cooking class for fellow members of Fort Vegan, a vegan and vegetarian meetup here in Fort Collins. Many of the attendees were vegetarian, but looking to go vegan and needed ideas of how to cook without cheese and eggs. I enjoyed meeting everyone and getting a chance to “talk shop” and learn a few things myself. I put together a packet of information regarding protein, calcium, and ten different things to make with tofu. I also included the recipes for the vegan goodies we ate. I’m sorry to say, I completely forgot to serve the vegan brownies–although the recipe was included. The Seventh Grader was thrilled with my oversight.
I served four easy-to-make appetizers: Avocado Bruschetta, Crock Cheez, Hummus, and Field Roast Stuffed Phyllo Cups. I then showed attendees how to make the best mac n’ cheese ever.
Hopefully, everyone came away with lots of helpful information and full stomachs. I had a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to class number 2 next Sunday. I’m not sure what I’ll be whipping up for that class, but since Thanksgiving is coming up, I may focus on vegan holiday dishes. Thanks again to everyone who attended!
Halloween Shenanigans
I’m a little slow in getting this post up—I’ve been swamped, but here it is. I LOVE Halloween—behind Christmas, it’s my favorite holiday. It’s The Husband’s least favorite holiday, but he puts up with it for me. (Thanks, hon). He’ll even don a costume . . .
The Husband, on the left, after getting fed up with the (cheaply made) Headless Man costume and our good friend, and neighbor, Chris.
I decided to go as a witch . . .
(No, I’m not drunk, just hamming it up for the camera)
I’ll make this quick . . . I threw together some appetizer favorites along with a pot of Vegetable-Barley Chili. On the menu were Stuff Phyllo Cups, Mushroom/Spinach Truffle Oil Tart, Hummus, and my mom’s famous Party Cheese Ball.
For dips, I used Tofutti sour cream with vegan veggie mixes, had some olive out, as well as cider and punch. For something sweet, I decided to make Cinnamon-Sugar Pita Chips:
So easy! Preheat oven to 425. Cut each pita in half, then each half into 3 pieces, then pull each piece apart; place on a baking sheet. Heat about 4 Tbs of Earth Balance in a saucepan and combine 2 Tbs sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon in a bowl. Brush each pita triangle with Earth Balance, then sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake for about 4-5 minutes. Once they cool completely, whip up some icing by combining about 2 cups of powdered sugar with 2-3 Tbs of almond milk; drizzle on the chip. Enjoy!
Can you guess what my friend, Jessie is?
Win a Copy of Peas and Thank You!
I wanted to take this chance to introduce a friend of mine. Carolyn and I met many years ago during a novel-writing class and we’ve been (writing) pals ever since. Over at Hooked and Happy, Carolyn is giving away a copy of Peas and Thank You, a vegan cookbook! Click HERE to enter for your chance to win.
Spend some time at Hooked and Happy—it’s full of fun, witty, and practical ideas, recipes, and musing!
Fort Vegan & The Sustainable Living Fair
(That’s the Seventh-Grader helping set up)
I had a fantastic time at the Sustainable Living Fair here in Fort Collins over the weekend. I volunteered with Fort Vegan, a local meetup. We handed out information and vegan samples, thanks to VegFund. I got an opportunity to meet lots of great people including Mike and Dan of Cruelty-Free World. They are a wonderful couple! They sell vegan products and cookbooks and donate 100% of the profits to animal and human rights organizations. How noble/admirable/kind/awesome/selfless is that?
I made a contribution by purchasing Color Me Vegan and the Seventh-Grader bought a vegan wallet.If you haven’t already, visit Mike and Dan at The Gay Vegans.
In addition to nearly 200 exhibitors, the fair boasted several large areas dedicated to renewable energy, natural heath, green building, green living, and local produce. I also had the pleasure of volunteering with fellow Fort Vegan member, Sara Jelley, who is a personal trainer and recently began her own business, Curvy Fitness. If you are in the area, hate the gym, and want a practical, holistic approach to fitness, contact Sara on her site—she’s a sweetheart!
Fort Collins Sustainable Living Fair
400th Post!!
This weekend, I will be volunteering at the Fort Veg*n –Northern Colorado’s Vegan and Vegetarian Meetup booth at the Sustainable Living Fair here in Fort Collins and I’m really excited. I’m not, however, excited about the forecast—Saturday is shaping up to be rainy. It should still be a fantastic time with lots of great venders (excluding the Weston A. Price folks who will be 2 down from us 🙁 ) But, hey—that’s ok.
In addition to lots of venders, the fair has several keynote speakers lined up including actress Sheryl Lee (she played the unfortunate Laura Palmer on Twin Peaks), as well as Alec Loorz, a 17-year-old non-profit founder.
I’m getting my postcards printed out so that I can hopefully pursue fair visitors to check out Epicurean Vegan and give recipe or two a try.
And . . . a HUGE thank you to VegFund for providing us with some moolah!! Thanks for them, we’ll have some fabulous vegan food samples.
If you are in the area, please stop by. The fair is open 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Saturday. Also be sure to stop at the Cruelty-Free World booth out of Denver. Hope to see you there!
Restaurant Review: Larkburger
Yes, you read that right: Larkburger. When my friend suggested we go there, I said, “Excuse, me? Did you forget who you were with?!” She assured me that they offer a mushroom burger and that basically I need to shut up and eat. I will like it. Hmpf. Ok, fine.
Larkburger is a Colorado-based burger joint with stores in Boulder, Edwards, Denver, and Fort Collins. So sure enough, on the menu is Amy’s Burger, a portabello mushroom burger with lettuce, tomato and grilled onions. Larkburger is also famous for their truffle oil fries, so as you can imagine, I didn’t need much convincing to get those (just sans Parmesan). As we waited for our food, I got a good look around . . .
So get this: the very woodsy interior is made of all reclaimed timber. Not only that, but 100% of the restaurant is run by wind power. How cool is that? It doesn’t end there. All of the cups and containers are made from a biodegradable corn-based product and the “Spudware” is made from potato and/or cornstarch. Everything is compost-able. They use energy-efficient commercial equipment, and even their leftover canola oil is used for automobile fuel. Pretty impressive. (So impressive, I can overlook the fact that the beef industry is one of the BIGGEST contributors to global destruction). You don’t see many businesses and restaurants doing their part like this, so I have to commend Larkburger. So on to the food! (which they say is made with 100% natural ingredients and no additives or preservatives). Oh, and they also offer gluten-free buns. So . . .was this mushroom burger really any good?
Yes. I was hungry, but I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything so fast. Plus, it was hard to put down since they come in a little pocket—you have to pretty much scarf it down with one hand, while stuffing the delicious fries in your mouth with the other hand. Best $9.89 I’ve spent on food at restaurant of this type. The service was great, too. My friend had only gotten half a cup of iced tea before the machine went on the fritz (must have been a low-wind day). 😉 So they gave her a free milkshake. Nice . . . if you’re into that kind of thing.
Thanks Larkburger for your environmental work and for a fabulous mushroom burger!
