Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows Coming this Fall

Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows - coming fall 2015!
Photo courtesy of Chicago Vegan Foods' Instagram.

It's never too early to keep an eye out for pumpkin-flavored fall food items, and the rad Chicago Vegan Foods (makers of Dandies vegan marshmallows, Teese vegan cheese, and other fine vegan products) recently announced that they are unveiling new PUMPKIN Dandies marshmallows this upcoming autumn!

Via Chicago Vegan Foods' Instagram:

"Did you know we have pumpkin Dandies hitting the shelves this fall? We're so excited! Tell your favorite store about them."

Um, can't freaking wait for these!!! I was so, so stoked when I saw this post on their Instagram that it just about made my whole week! I can't wait to get my hands on these and makes some delicious, pumpkin Rice Crispie treats, preferably with the Pumpkin O's seasonal cereal from Trader Joe's! Or I could make some epic pumpkin hot chocolate with these! Yum!

What are you most looking forward to making with these pumpkin marshmallows?

UPDATE: Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows are now available to purchase!! Get the sweet scoop HERE!

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Watch Now on Netflix: Animal (2014)


There are some pretty mediocre and downright awful films on Netflix, and to be honest Animal (2014) looked like it would fall somewhere in between those categories. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining this horror flick turned out to be, despite its generic sounding name/synopsis.

Here is the set-up for this creature feature:

"When plans for a weekend vacation hit a dead end, a group of close-knit friends find themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, pursued by a menacing, blood thirsty predator."

This film won't win any awards for originality, but it was a surprisingly fun way to kill 80 minutes. While the characters start out as typical horror movie stereotypes, I liked that they tried to develop them so they stood out from one another and how they were mostly all likable (well, with one notable exception). The creature design was also really well-done and looked realistic, as did the gore and bloody special FX. For a low-budget horror flick that was produced by the Chiller Network, it also looked pretty sleek, with some great direction/production. It is set almost entirely at nighttime in a forest, so I appreciated that the lighting was spot-on so that all the action happening was crystal-clear. The storyline also had a few twists and turns that kept me engaged the whole running time of the movie.

If you are looking for some fun, mindless entertainment, Animal is a nifty little creature feature that pairs delightfully with some beers and pizza. You can find it streaming on Netflix now!

It's also available for purchase on Amazon!

Monday, May 11, 2015

What I Ate - April/May 2015

I've been a little stressed at work lately, so I haven't had a chance to post much. I wanted to remedy that, but since my life has pretty much been work, eat, sleep, repeat, I haven't had much to write about. However, inspired by Vegan Crunk's "Stuff I Ate" posts, I figured I could at least share some of the better things I've eaten in the past couple weeks. I love drooling over everyone's vegan food posts, so I thought this would be a fun, quick, and visual way to showcase some finger-lickin' vegan food I've eaten recently! Note: Most of these have been posted previously on my Instagram, in case you already follow me there and are thinking these look a tad familiar!

 My version of Frito pie! I made this with Trader Joe's Corn Dippers (though Fritos are "accidentally" vegan), black and refried beans, Follow Your Heart's Cheddar Vegan Gourmet Shreds (my new fave vegan cheese shreds!), crispy cabbage, red salsa and hot sauce. 

Monday, May 4, 2015

Recipe: Castagnaccio or Tuscan Chestnut Flour Cake

Tuscan Castagnaccio or Chestnut Flour Cake

Next in my series of veganizing traditional Tuscan food, I want to share with you a recipe for a rustic peasant cake called castagnaccio (otherwise known as migliaccio in some regions of Italy). This is a slightly sweet, slightly savory flat chestnut flour cake. It uses only simple, seasonal ingredients to create a distinct, unique dish!


My Babbo (Italian for daddy) showed me how to make castagnaccio, and got me hooked on this treat! He remembers eating it growing up in Fiesole, Italy, though outside of Tuscany he doesn't think it is very well-known. It's such a traditional taste of Tuscany that I wanted to share it with you! Below you'll find the recipe my dad handed down to me, which was handed down to him from his mother, my Italian Nonna.

Friday, May 1, 2015

A Day at Death Salon Getty Villa: From Ancient Necropolis to LA's Metropolis


This past Sunday, April 26th, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Death Salon held at The Getty Villa in Malibu, California, whose broad focus was "From Ancient Necropolis to LA's Metropolis". The Death Salon is curated in part by The Order of the Good Death, who helps put on these events in different locations around the world. This time they partnered with J. Paul Getty Museum and The Getty Villa to bring Los Angeles a view of death that the ancient Etruscans, Romans, and Greeks held, plus touching on some local LA death-centric topics. But wait, you might be asking yourself...just what is a Death Salon? The Death Salon website explains, "In the spirit of the eighteenth-century salon – informal gatherings of intellectuals – Death Salon encourages conversations on mortality and mourning and their resonating effects on our culture and history."
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