Quantcast
Channel: The Spooky Vegan
Viewing all 927 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

The Beginnings of Halloween 2014 at Walmart

September 19, 2014, 7:00 am
$
0
0

I stopped into Walmart this week to see if they had any of their Halloween stuff out, and they already had a few aisles of costumes, candy, and decorations out! They had lots of kids costumes already out, plus Halloween makeup and tons of candy. 
Their other Halloween aisles were a little more bare, but they had Halloween lighting, some decor, some jewelry, party supplies, and lots of autumn-themed tableware. Disappointingly, they didn't have any adult-sized t-shirts or socks out yet. They did have a lot of baby and kid Halloween clothes out, though.

I didn't get photos everything they had, but here are some photos to give you an idea of what they had started to put out:

Pumpkins everywhere!

 These decorative lawn stakes were small, but really cool and only
$2 a piece!

 Batty and Jack tins

 Black owls and ravens just begging for a good home!

 Halloween Utz pretzels

 A very colorful Halloween aisle, but I liked that vintage-inspired
cat sign!

 Plastic skull 'n' crossbones cups

 Lots of cool Halloween jewelry - I bought that flying raven necklace
you see in the lower righthand corner.

 Baking supplies

I liked these candle wax warmers a lot...too bad I already spent $20
on a poorly designed Yankee Candle jack-o-lantern one. I should
have just waited and bought these for half the price with a better
design!

Has your Walmart put Halloween stuff out yet? Have you found anything that is a must-have from Walmart for Halloween?
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
Search

Haunt Horror "The Houses That October Built" Coming this Autumn

September 19, 2014, 11:00 am
$
0
0

The trailer for The Houses That October Built debuted a week ago today, and I've been obsessing over this haunt-themed horror movie ever since! I mean, it combines haunted houses, Halloween, road tripping, awesome costumes, and a spooky story about the ultimate underground haunt that aims to scare people to death?! What's not to love???

The Houses That October Built is a found footage film, and while the horror market is now saturated with these kind of storytelling, I'm not sick of it as many others seem to be. And the handheld camera POV actually makes sense in the story, as the main characters are documenting haunted houses all across America (hell, I would watch just that footage, even if it wasn't a horror movie!).

Check out the synopsis and the trailer for yourself below:

Beneath the fake blood and cheap masks of countless haunted house attractions across the country, there are whispers of truly terrifying alternatives. Looking to find an authentic, blood-curdling good fright for Halloween, five friends set off on a road trip in an RV to track down these underground Haunts. Just when their search seems to reach a dead end, strange and disturbing things start happening and it becomes clear that the Haunt has come to them…



The Houses That October Built will be released October 10th, 2014 in select theaters as well as via VOD and iTunes.

What do you think? Are you excited for this one?
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
↧

Halloween 2014 at Target

September 21, 2014, 8:30 am
$
0
0
Target's Halloween Shop

I've been to multiple Target stores since my original post on their Halloween selection, and I am ecstatic to report they all seem to have their Halloween sections completely set up! Lots of items seem to be selling fast, but I'm sure they'll be re-stocking and adding even more stuff in the next week or so, too! 

When I went back on Thursday and Saturday, here are the additional items I found:

 These drink mixes sure are cute! Skeletini, Vampire's Kiss, Scararita,
and Bloody Scary! Love the packaging, but I didn't check if they 
were vegan!

 I could not resist this adorable black cat bowl! And it was only $4!

Wall of skulls and bones!

 These are such cute containers and remind me of '80s or '90s
Halloween merch! They are filled with Chupa Chups pops (probably
not vegan). 

 Really awesome Best Costume Awards!

 Pumpkins galore!




 These fingernail sets are only $3 and look pretty awesome!

OMG, ELF has released Beauty Books that comes with eyeshadows,
eyeliner, blush, and lipstick in different palates! They are $6 each!
Target also has individual Halloween ELF products like nail polishes,
lipsticks, and so on!

 "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet" candy bucket!

 Orange skeleton mask?! Yes, please!!

 More Chupa Chups Halloween containers, this one in what I like to 
call goofy Monster!

 Twizzlers have a new Halloween flavor - Caramel Apple!! And as 
far as I can tell, these are vegan! Woot woot!

Some Halloween snacks - Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt Popcorn (vegan,
just wish they had more Halloween-y packaging), Kool-Aid Ghoul-Aid (pretty
sure this is vegan), Utz Halloween Pretzels (vegan, love these!), and the monster
cereals, Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry and some other of their 
branded treats on the top shelf (NOT vegan, but still fun to look at!).
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch 2014

September 22, 2014, 8:00 am
$
0
0

Happy first day of fall! And what's better than kicking off the first day of the most wonderful season than with a visit to the pumpkin patch? Nothing, that's what!

I visited the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch, the first pumpkin patch to open near me, yesterday! It is located in the Irvine Regional Park on the foothills between Irvine and Orange. Not only was it a perfect way to kick off autumn, but the weather was gloriously gloomy to boot!


The Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch is geared more towards little kids, but I like going anyway since they have boo-tiful pumpkins and a lovely location. This isn't a real pumpkin patch where pumpkins are grown (they just truck pumpkins in and arrange them all around), but for some reason I still love it! They have a cute little train that runs around the park, lots of huge shady trees, pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, and adorable little western-style houses they adorn with Halloween decorations! They also have lots of games that kids can play, as well as bounce houses, and some other attractions geared towards kids.


To get into the pumpkin patch, you have to pay a fee to enter Irvine Regional Park, which is $5 for the day. I usually just go for the pumpkin patch, but there are lots of other things to do in the park as well, like hiking, horseback riding, etc. The park tends to get rather crowded, so I like arriving a little earlier than the pumpkin patch opens (10 am) to avoid the crowds and to get parking close to the pumpkin patch. I also like getting there early to avoid the hordes of children and families that descend on this place, but that's just because I'm not fond of either (I wish there was an adult-only pumpkin patch).

Nevertheless, Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch is a fun trip that is worth the drive! Pack a picnic and stay a while, and soak in the pumpkin-y goodness of this patch!

More pics below for you to enjoy this first day of autumn!












Have you been to any pumpkin patches yet this season? What are you doing the celebrate the first day of autumn?
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Trader Joe's Seasonal Pumpkin Items

September 22, 2014, 2:30 pm
$
0
0
Trader Joe's has gone pumpkin-crazy this autumn season! They have everything from pumpkin oatmeal to hard pumpkin cider to pumpkin trees out right now! Hey, I'm not complaining, I just wish more of these items were vegan.

However, a large bulk of their seasonal pumpkin items are vegan (or, at least they appeared vegan after a quick scan of their ingredients - please correct me if I'm wrong). Here is a small sample of their pumpkin offerings this fall:

Pumpkin trees

 Pumpkin Bread and Muffin mix is vegan! Avoid the Pumpkin 
Pancake Waffle mix though - it is not vegan! 

 OMG, Pumpkin Rolls! These are just like Trader Joe's other 
Cinnamon Rolls (only better though, cuz pumpkin), and vegan!

 Good ol' organic canned pumpkin is back! 

 Pumpkin bagels! And from what I can tell they are vegan (no 
gross L-cysteine, i.e. poultry feathers)!

 Gluten-free Pumpkin Pancake Mix - PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT 
VEGAN! This must have slipped past my veg-dar (vegan radar), because
this product contains milk! Ugh, sorry guys!

 Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Pecan Pumpkin Instant Oatmeal - this stuff is my favorite!

Of course, they had tons of other non-vegan options (and probably other vegan options I missed), including pumpkin pop-tarts, pumpkin ravioli, and much more!

And FYI, their divine Pumpkin Body Butter is back in-stores on September 29th!

What are your favorite pumpkin items from Trader Joe's?
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
↧

Target's Halloween Shirts (and more) for 2014

September 23, 2014, 7:30 am
$
0
0
"I'm With Creepy" is one of the coolest shirts Target has available
this Halloween season!

Target has some pretty awesome women's clothes for Halloween this year! Besides the usual t-shirts, they also have leggings and panties! Check them out below!

 Jack-o-Lantern baseball-style Halloween tee!

Boo! tee plus a sparkly pumpkin tee.

 Mummy Snoopy

 Jack Skellington long-sleeved tee. I just wish it was short-sleeved
instead of long-sleeved!

Cute skeleton Mickey tee!

 Tinkerbell and pumpkin tee

OMG, Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice undies!

 Halloween leggings!! They are a polyester/spandex blend, so a
little icky, but who can resist jack-o-lantern leggings?? And they are
only $14.99!

Skull and crossbones leggings, too!

If I remember correctly, the long-sleeved shirts and leggings were $14.99, the regular tees were $12.99, and the panties were $5.99 for one. 

I ended up buying the "I'm With Creepy" t-shirt, Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice panties, and the jack-o-lantern leggings! 
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Food Review: Caramel Apple Twizzlers

September 24, 2014, 8:00 am
$
0
0

Twizzlers are one of the “mainstream” candies that are accidentally vegan, so I was excited to see that they had a new flavor available for the Halloween season – Caramel Apple filled Twizzlers! I wasn't sure if this particular flavor would also be vegan, but after a quick scan of the ingredients it looks like the Caramel Apple Twizzlers are vegan as well!

These Twizzlers are green on the outside, and filled with a weird, pinkish caramel-flavored filling on the inside. They look a little strange, but their flavor is surprisingly delicious! I was expecting them to have a strong tart, apple flavor, but instead they have a more subtle apple flavor, with stronger hints of rich, creamy caramel flavor. I really liked the flavor and found these to be addicting!

A peek at the weird-colored filling of the Twizzlers - weird color, 
but great taste! And doncha love the spiderweb glasses? Got
them at Target for a buck!

The consistency of these Twizzlers was a lot softer than regular Twizzlers, probably because of the caramel-flavored filling. They definitely weren't as chewy as the regular Twizzlers, and were much easier to bite into. I love regular Twizzlers, but I think I like the softer consistency of these better!

I wasn't expecting to like these Caramel Apple Twizzlers so much, but I was surprised just how much I ended up loving them! They are selling them in perfect little packets for trick or treaters (or personal enjoyment) as well as in a king size, which is just right for snacking on while watching a horror movie.

I definitely recommend these Halloween Twizzlers and will definitely be buying them again this year!

UPDATE: I must have my Halloween blinders on because I totally missed "glycerol monostearate" (aka monoglycerides) in the ingredients. I usually avoid anything with any derivative of "stearate" in the ingredients, as this ingredient is usually sourced from animal fat (sometimes it is from vegetable sources). I also learned recently that mono- and diglycerides are usually (but not always) animal-derived. Another questionable ingredient in these Twizzler are the "natural" ingredients, which could pretty much be anything.

One thing to note: regular Twizzlers also contain these ingredients (instead of glycerol monostearate listed they list monoglycerides), and these are often cited as being suitable for vegans/vegetarians as well.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual vegan/vegetarian to decide if they will choose to avoid these ingredients/products. As for my personal opinion, I think it is fine to follow the 99.9% vegan rule as veganism isn't about perfection to me (in our flawed world, there is no way to be 100% vegan). I prefer on focusing on the bigger picture instead of stressing about possible small amounts of animal products. Would I buy these again? Probably not, but I'm also not obsessing over the possibility of consuming a tiny amount of animal by-product either.

Go forth and do what you think is right, and think about what will make the biggest impact on saving the animals!
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Food Review: Treeline Herb-Garlic French Style Soft Cheese

September 25, 2014, 9:30 am
$
0
0

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying Parmela’s treenut cheese (review), so I thought I would expand my vegan cheese repertoire and try Treeline’s French-style soft cheese. Treeline was one of the first, if not THE first, vegan companies to offer fancy vegan soft cheese, and I've hear so many friends rave about their cheese, so I thought it was high time I tried some! Treeline is produced by The Gardener Cheese Company in Kingston, New York and is available at most Whole Foods and select natural food stores.

Like many other treenut cheese, Treeline is made out of cashews. They offer two flavors, Herb-Garlic and Scallion. My store only had the Herb-Garlic in stock, so that’s the one I tried! The Herb-Garlic is made by culturing the cashews with fine French herbs and garlic, which is a very similar method employed in traditional cheese-making.

I tried Treeline’s Herb-Garlic spread on some crackers, and at first I was a bit taken aback by the strong flavor of herbs and garlic. However, these mellowed out as my palate got used to the taste. Although the flavors were strong, they weren't overpowering, just very sharp. The flavor grew on me and I ended up enjoying it very much!

I only had these crackers on-hand, so I had to make due with them
even though they weren't the most ideal for serving with this cheese! 
They look like Triscuits (which are accidentally vegan anyway), but
they are actually Back to Nature's Harvest Whole Wheat crackers, and
they were darn tasty!  

The texture of the cheese very smooth and creamy, and the consistency was just right. It spread beautifully on crackers and toast, but was thicker than cream cheese. I really liked the consistency of this soft cheese and thought it was just perfect! I doubt that anyone could tell the difference between this and a soft dairy-based cheese. And when you have such a wonderful alternative such as Treeline, there really is no excuse to continue eating dairy-based cheese!

A tub of Treeline will run you approximately $7.99, which is affordable as a once-in-a-while splurge, and significantly less than other vegan soft cheese. The price is comparable to Parmela’s, which I previously reviewed here.


As for the flavor, I would give Parmela’s the slight edge as it had a more subtle flavor. However, I think the consistency and texture of Treeline’s cheese was better. I think Treeline’s would work well as a cheese base in a pasta sauce, or spread on toast and topped with tomatoes and fresh basil, as it has a strong flavor that could benefit from being intermingled with other flavors. It would also be wonderful on a vegan cheese plate, paired with some grapes and wine!

Treeline is an exceptional choice for fancy vegan cheese, and I am so happy to have this delicious vegan option!

For more info, please visit Treeline's site!
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
Search

13 Horror Movies I’m Looking Forward to this Autumn

September 26, 2014, 8:00 am
$
0
0

Ahhhhh autumn, my favorite time of year (as if you haven’t noticed!!)! Time for falling leaves, dropping temperatures (well, at least wishing for dropping temps here in SoCal), scary décor, Halloween, and, of course, horror movies! I love horror year-round, but there is just something special about autumn that creates the perfect atmosphere for watching horror flicks!

In past years, there haven’t been that many horror films released in the months of September, October, or November, except the Paranormal Activity films. We were starved for horror then, but this year it seems like a glut of horror films are being released these three golden months!

Here are my top 13 horror films I’m looking forward to watching this autumn, ordered by release date:



Honeymoon (September 12th, 2014) – “A newlywed couple finds their lake-country honeymoon descend into chaos after Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of their first night.” This film looks downright unsettling and the trailer definitely piqued my interest! It is in limited release at the moment, but I hope to be able to see this one soon.





Tusk (September 19th, 2014) – “When podcaster Wallace Bryton goes missing in the backwoods of Manitoba while interviewing a mysterious seafarer named Howard Howe, his best friend Teddy and girlfriend Allison team with an ex-cop to look for him.” Ok, I admit that this looks completely silly, and it should since director Kevin Smith cooked up the idea with his buddies while high. Still, there is something in its weirdness and outlandishness that makes me want to see it. This one is currently in theaters, I just can't seem to find anyone to go see it with!





ABCs of Death 2 (October 2nd, 2014 - VOD, October 31st, 2014 - limited) – “Be ready to learn your ABC's again with 26 new directors and 26 new deaths bring your kids to a blood and gore filled horror so good your face will be blood red.” I have to admit, I didn’t like the first ABCs of Death at all except for like two segments. I love the idea behind it, but the talent was definitely lacking in the first one and it just seemed to rely on gross-out gags rather than genuinely creepy moments. Still, with a new crop of 26 directors, I want to see if this second installment is an improvement over the first.





Annabelle (October 3rd, 2014) – “A pigtailed doll possessed by a demon threatens a young couple with a newborn baby.” I really liked the Annabelle sub-story in The Conjuring, and want to see more of the creepy doll, who’s story is based on a real terrifying, possibly possessed doll!





The Houses October Built (October 10th, 2014) – “Beneath the fake blood and cheap masks of countless haunted house attractions across the country, there are whispers of truly terrifying alternatives. Looking to find an authentic, blood-curdling good fright for Halloween, five friends set off on a road trip in an RV to track down these underground Haunts. Just when their search seems to reach a dead end, strange and disturbing things start happening and it becomes clear that the Haunt has come to them…” A movie based on the haunt and maze attractions of Halloween? YES PLEASE!




The Pact 2 (October 10th, 2014) – “The sequel is set just weeks after Annie Barlow's deadly confrontation with the Judas Killer. In this elevated sequel, we meet June, a woman whose carefully constructed life is beginning to unravel due to lucid nightmares so awful they disturb her waking life.” The first film did a swell job of freaking me the f*ck out, so I am anxious to see if the same feelings of dread can be recreated in the sequel (even though the poster above is atrocious).





The Town that Dreaded Sundown (October 16th, 2014) – “Based on a terrifying true story, The Town That Dreaded Sundown picks up sixty-five years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of Texarkana, when the "moonlight murders" begin again. Is it a copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high school girl, with dark secrets of her own, may be the key to catching the murderer.” This is a remake, but the trailer makes it look pretty dang awesome and the fact that it is based on a real story of a serial killer makes it that much more terrifying.





Housebound (October 17th, 2014) – “Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her mother Miriam - a well-intentioned blabbermouth who's convinced that the house is haunted. Kylie dismisses Miriam's superstitions as nothing more than a distraction from a life occupied by boiled vegetables and small-town gossip. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers and strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she's inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who's not particularly thrilled about her return.” This New Zealand film looks quirky and fun! The atmosphere in the trailer looks spot on, and it looks like it has a good balance of humor and scares.





V/H/S Viral (October 23rd, 2014) – "The third film in the V/H/S anthology series, V/H/S: Viral follows a group of teens who unwittingly become the next internet viral sensation." I really enjoyed the previous V/H/S films, and love the concept and the execution!




Exists (October 24th, 2014) – “For five friends, it was a chance for a summer getaway- a weekend of camping in the Texas Big Thicket. But visions of a carefree vacation are shattered with an accident on a dark and desolate country road. In the wake of the accident, a bloodcurdling force of nature is unleashed-something not exactly human, but not completely animal - an urban legend come to terrifying life and seeking murderous revenge.” It’s a Bigfoot movie directed by Eduardo Sánchez (co-director/writer of Blair Witch Project)…do I need to say more? I mean, when is the last time you saw a (good) Bigfoot movie? God, I hope this is a good one!!





Horns (October 31st, 2014) – “In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to strange horns sprouting from his temples.” It’s Daniel Radcliffe in an Alexandre Aja movie based on a book by Joe Hill - what’s not to like? I love the weirdness that the film promises, as well as dark themes mixed with quirkiness and a riveting performance by Radcliffe.





Nightcrawler (October 31st, 2014) - "A pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling -- where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou thrives. In the breakneck, ceaseless search for footage, he becomes the star of his own story." Not exactly horror, and more along the lines of a crime thriller, but nonetheless this film looks like it'll keep me on the edge of my seat!





The Babadook (November 28th, 2014) – “Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6-year-old, Samuel, a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel's dreams are plagued by a sinister monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called 'The Babadook' turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he's been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control and as he becomes more unpredictable and violent, Amelia is genuinely frightened by her son's behaviour. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about may be real.” So sad we have to wait until the end of November to see this, but I believe this is THE most anticipated horror film of 2014! It looks deliciously spooky and has a fantastic atmosphere! Can’t wait!!




What did I miss? What horror films are you most looking forward to this season?
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
↧

31 Days of Halloween Starts October 1st!

September 29, 2014, 7:08 am
$
0
0

The Countdown to Halloween is just two days away! Join me every day this October as I celebrate Halloween each day with a new post! There will be short films, recipes, Halloween candy, photos of autumn splendor, Halloween event listings, poems, Halloween art, autumn beers, haunted houses, costume and makeup ideas, Halloween reading, and much, much more!

Please join me right here, every day this October, to revere the spookiest time of the year!

You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook where I'll also be kicking up my heels and exalting the season!

If you really want to get into the Halloween spirit, check out my 31 Days of Halloween countdown from past years, going back to 2010!

There are many other boo-tiful blogs participating in this countdown, and you can find them on the official Countdown to Halloween site!

Happy Halloweening!
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Food Review: Pumpkin Spice Oreos

September 30, 2014, 7:30 am
$
0
0

Last week, Oreo finally released their latest fall flavor, Pumpkin Spice, in stores! I finally managed to snag a box over the weekend at Target, cuz OMG Pumpkin Spice Oreos!! I have previously reviewed Oreo's other fall flavor, Caramel Apple (read the review), so I was greatly anticipating trying the Pumpkin Spice Oreos!

First things first - I checked that these were also "accidentally vegan" and they were! Please note that this IS junk food, so obviously these are not healthy. Also, take care if you have strong feelings on sugar that might be processed using bone char (Nabisco uses different sugar vendors, some that use bone char for processing and some that don't, but you never know which one you may get), so if you feel strongly on the sugar issue you'll probably want to skip these. On a personal note, I abide by the 99.99999% vegan rule and try not to stress too much about potential trace amounts of possible animal ingredients. For me, veganism is all about intent and not perfection, and I believe on focusing on the big picture and doing the most I can for the animals, instead of driving myself crazy with possible amounts of trace animal ingredients. If you would rather avoid these types of products, more power to you, and do what feels right for you!

Now that's out of the way, back to the review!

When I ripped open the Oreo package, I was hit with the sweet and spicy scents of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. The cookies smelled just like a delicious pumpkin pie! However, they tasted different than what I had anticipated, almost a little too spicy and not enough sweet. They tasted more like gingerbread to me rather than pumpkin spice. I think the spice flavor overwhelms the pumpkin flavor, and so the cookie loses some of its autumn "essence", if you will.

Even though it had a different flavor than what I was expecting, it was still a good cookie! I feel like it might be a little more appropriate for November/Thanksgiving rather than Halloween, but I still enjoyed this flavor.

If I had to choose a favorite between the Pumpkin Spice and the Caramel Apple Oreos, I think I prefer the Caramel Apple flavor. The Caramel Apple Oreos tasted exactly like I expected them to and overall felt more "Halloween-y" than the Pumpkin Spice. Or maybe it's just me - I know a lot of people are head-over-heels in love with the Pumpkin Spice and don't care much for the Caramel Apple cookies.

Have you tried both? What are your thoughts?

You can find the Pumpkin Spice Oreos at Target and grocery stores. I believe the Caramel Apple flavor is exclusive to Target.
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

31 Days of Halloween: Autumn Bucket List

October 1, 2014, 7:00 am
$
0
0
Hello, Autumn!

Hello fiends and welcome to another wonderful October, where I will be again participating in the 31 Days of Halloween (you can check out past years' posts HERE!)! This year's overarching theme will be ghosts, and though not all posts will be ghost-themed, many themes will focus on hauntings and spirits.

Boo to you!

I usually kick off this macabre month with a bucket list of all the things I want to do in October, and this year is no different. Last year my list was really ambitious, and though I nearly did everything I wanted to, this year will be a bit slower-paced. I want to take the time to really enjoy the season instead of having the month booked solid with to-do's. I hope this results in a much more languid, though no less spooky, October! 

Without further ado, here is my Autumn Bucket List for 2014:


-Visit the pumpkin patches at Tanaka Farms and Irvine Regional Park
-Drink pumpkin tea/pumpkin flavored coffee
-Watch as many horror movies as possible
-Attend Vegan Oktoberfest in Santa Monica October 4th
-Bake pumpkin muffins, bread, scones, cookies, etc.
-Watch as many Halloween-themed movies, tv shows, specials, etc.


-Finally get a Hocus Pocus poster and have it framed
-Visit all the big box stores (Target, Walmart, HomeGoods, etc.) to look at their Halloween stock (but restrain myself from buying all of it)
-Burn pumpkin spice wax melts/candles 24/7 so my house always smells like an autumnal wonderland
-Drink apple cider
-Sample lots of different pumpkin or autumn beers


-Carve pumpkins
-Crank up the Halloween music
-Host a pumpkin carving party or horror movie night
-Hand out vegan candy to trick or treaters (I live in a new neighborhood where I hope they have trick or treaters!)
-Send Halloween cards to friends and family
-Wear as much orange and black as possible


-Make a new Halloween music mix to post on 8tracks
-Watch Halloween cartoons
-Visit the Halloween display at Roger’s Gardens in Newport Beach
-Go to a haunted house, haunt or hayride On my list: Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, LA's Haunted Hayride, and Delusion, an interactive play. 
-Read The Halloween Tree and other Halloween-themed stories
-Paint my nails orange


-Check out horror movies in theaters
-Roast pumpkin seeds
-Try new vegan autumn recipes
-Eat as many pumpkin-based foods (that are vegan) as possible
-Complete the 31 Days of Halloween challenge!

You can also keep up with my Halloween adventures on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest!
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Beauty Review: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter

October 1, 2014, 6:38 pm
$
0
0
The glorious return of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter!

Last year, Trader Joe's came out with decadent Pumpkin Body Butter, which sold out in like 2.5 seconds. I bought two tubs last year, and by some miracle I made them last until this September. Smelling like Halloween year-round was pretty fricking incredible, but I was in despair when I used up the last tub.

Luckily, Trader Joe's just stocked their shelves again with this magical Pumpkin Body Butter, so the day it came out (September 29th) I rushed to the store and literally made them go into the back and pull out the box of pumpkin body butters! I grabbed four tubs, because the employee who was nice enough to fetch them from the back said they only get one small box for the season, so when they sell out they don't get any more. When I got home I realized I should have just bought the whole box of 50 or so tubs and sold them on the black market to make a small fortune...oh well!

Here is the ingredient list, plus you can see it is marked cruelty-free, 
vegan, and paraben free!

As you can probably ascertain, I am pretty obsessed with this body butter, because it is clearly marked vegan, is cruelty-free and not tested on animals, is one of my favorite scents, and makes my skin luxuriously silky! The enchanting scent alone sells me - it smells like a mix of a pumpkin patch, fall leaves and apple cider. It is the absolute perfect mix of all those elements and it smells like the epitome of autumn and Halloween to me.

Besides making me smell good enough to eat, this body butter has some serious moisturizing power! I don't really have dry skin, but even I notice a difference when I slather this yummy body butter on. My skin feels and looks smoother, and of course I also smell amazing! I like that it absorbs quickly into my skin, and I love its rich, whipped consistency, which feels so decadent!

If you love autumn scents as much as I do, you will definitely want to try to get your hands on some of this Pumpkin Body Butter from Trader Joe's! An 8 ounce tub will run you about $4.99 (which I believe is about a dollar cheaper than last year, if I remember correctly), which is an exceptionally good price for such a high-quality product!

But hurry...this stuff is going to sell out super fast!
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
↧

31 Days of Halloween: Universal's Halloween Horror Nights 2014

October 2, 2014, 7:30 am
$
0
0

I got to attend my first EVER Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood this past Saturday! I can't believe I had never attended before, and my first time was made even more special by a very generous friend who spoiled me with VIP tickets! I wanted to share a bit of my experience and let you know what I thought of it all.

Before I talk you through the evening I had, I want to mention that in an effort to soak everything in I barely took any pictures, which is odd for someone like me who is always snapping away! Mister Spooky, who attended as well, was kind enough to lend me some of his photos, though some are a bit blurry due to all the action and low lighting. With that said, let me talk you through our eerie evening!

Sun Cafe's Sun Bruschetta (fresh tomato, basil, garlic, 
cashew ricotta on raw sunflower and buckwheat "bread", 
balsamic reduction), a side of Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and 
the Fiesta Burger (SunBurger topped with guacamole, 
pico de gallo, nacho cheese, cashew mayo, 
jalapeno) - all vegan and all amazing!

We started the night by having an early dinner at Sun Café (review of their previous location), which is located just down the hill from Universal Studios. Universal is pretty sparse on vegan dining options (see my previous report on vegan dining options at Universal), so Sun Café is the closest vegan restaurant and I highly recommend going there if you go to Universal Studios. After an early dinner, we headed up to Universal at about 5:30 pm.

The Purge opening ceremonies!

The park gets insanely busy for Halloween Horror Nights, so getting there early is key. With VIP tickets, valet parking was included, so we drove to the lot closest to the park entrance that is marked “valet”. There aren't any “VIP” parking signs, so if you do VIP just ask the attendants where to go and follow signs for the valet.

Once parked, we walked a short distance to the park entrance. VIP has its own entrances, so we headed for those and went through the metal detector security check and headed to the VIP will call, where they gave us our badges explained to us when our meal time and group tour was at the VIP lounge. VIP tickets come with a free buffet at a VIP-only lounge as well as a private guide to three of the most popular mazes and Terror Tram, as well as unlimited front-of-line passes.

Creature from "Skullz", a scare zone in the lower lot - the 
scare actors were on stilts and wearing these crazy skulls...and 
would run after people on stilts! It was awesome!

After getting our badges, we were escorted to the front of the “opening ceremonies”, past all the general admission peeps, so we had front row seats of The Purge freaks! It was pretty awesome when they took the barricades down and dudes and ladies dressed in creepy masks came at you with chainsaws, knives, and other weapons!

A gruesome tableau at the Mask-a-Raid scare
 zone, complete with cannibal courtesans!

Our VIP lounge entry time wasn't until 8:30, so we had plenty of time to head to the lower lot and hit up the Clowns and American Werewolf in London mazes first! To get there, we walked past the Skullz scare zone, where actors on stilts were wearing these awesome animal skulls! Then we hit the VIP lines for the mazes. VIP gets you unlimited front-of-line, so we had no wait at all to enter the mazes. They did a bang-up job with American Werewolf…there were huge wolves popping out at you, awesome transformations, and cool sets! My favorite scene was having to walk through a theater filled with bloodied up people and creatures…but you didn't know which ones were fake and which ones would jump out at you!

Clown in action gutting some poor guest who just wanted the
ice cream he was promised!

Next we did the Clowns maze, which was a lot of fun! It was in vividly bright 3-D, so you put on glasses before entering a neon-colored world that literally popped out at you! They also pumped some crazy smells in there, from cotton candy and popcorn to mint to puke smells! It was gross in the best way possible! And the clowns themselves were pretty gnarly as well!

This lady clown that jumps out of a mirror in Clowns was my favorite!

Besides those two mazes, the lower lot also had The Walking Dead maze, AVP: Alien vs. Predator maze, and the Dusk Till Dawn maze, but we didn't do those initially since we would be doing those later in our VIP group, so we rode the escalators back up to the upper lot. We still had some time to kill, so we went on The Simpsons’ ride (it was my first time and it was so fun!), then did a few scare zones (Mask-a-Raid and Dark Christmas, both amazing) and did the Dracula: Untold and Face/Off mazes (which were ok).

A very helpful ghoul trying to give me and my friend directions. 
What a friendly fellow!

By that time it was around 8:20, so we made our way to the VIP lounge, where we checked in, were assigned a tour group, and got to sample the buffet and rest for a bit. As I mentioned earlier, Universal doesn't have a lot of vegan options. The vegan options at the buffet included some veggies (asparagus and Brussels sprouts), edamame and watermelon salad, pita and hummus (though the hummus was barely edible), olives, and probably some salad in there somewhere. There were a few other “vegetarian plates”, but I didn't try those as they appeared to have eggs or cheese in them. So, like I mentioned earlier, Sun Café is an excellent choice if you want to grab dinner first! They also had lots of water, sodas, and beer or wine for those 21 and over (with a two drink max per VIP guest).

Dark Christmas scare zone was so cool...filled with Krampus, creepy
elves, evil Santas and other evil creatures from the North Pole!

The VIP lounge itself was nice, with lots of tables inside and outside, though I wish they had more than one bathroom stall! After eating and lounging for a bit, we lined up with our tour group (we were called “Wormfood”) and boarded a trolley to hit the three major mazes down in the lower lot. It sure was nice to not have to walk to these! We did From Dusk Till Dawn, The Walking Dead, and AVP: Alien vs. Predator. I just finished watching the From Dusk Till Dawn series on Netflix, so that maze was really fun for me! I especially loved that they had dudes playing Seth and Richie, the two main characters in the film/show, heckling guests outside the maze! For me, The Walking Dead maze was just okay…I guess I was expecting a bit more, or for it to be a bit longer. It wasn't very memorable. My favorite maze of the night was the AVP maze! They did such a great job with the sets and the scares! The props in that maze were really impressive and more than a little frightening! The ending was especially impressive!

More Dark Christmas! Loved all the Creepmas decor!

Our VIP tickets allowed us front of line, so we had no wait on The Walking Dead or Dusk Till Dawn maze, and only had to wait a few minutes for the AVP maze. The wait times for general admission were insane and the lines were soooooo long! AVP had a crazy wait time of over 2 hours (I think it was 150 minutes) and Walking Dead and Dusk Till Dawn each had at least an hour wait. I cannot imagine waiting in those lines! With VIP, we did all three within an hour or so.

Oozing Predator in the AVP maze!

After hitting the mazes, we were dropped off at the Terror Tram and had to battle our way through zombies (and other guests) through the backlot and through the sets of Psycho and War of the Worlds. This would have been really cool, but it was just too crowded for the zombies to make any real impact. It was pretty awesome to walk by the Psycho house, though!

Dusk Till Dawn maze entrance!

We hopped back on our VIP trolley, which took us back to the upper lot. From there, we decided to do our favorite mazes again! We went back down to the lower lot, did American Werewolf and Clowns again, took a break, then walked all the way to the backlot to do AVP and From Dusk Till Dawn again. The walk to that backlot where AVP, The Walking Dead and From Dusk Till Dawn were located was brutal! We previously had a trolley take us down there (cuz of the VIP passes), and didn't realize just how long of a walk it was! The area they put it in was really cool, and they made the sets look post-apocalyptic and filled the area with walkers you had to get through. After that it was nearing 2am, so we started to make our way out of the park, stopping to look at the merch in shops (Mister Spooky bought me the cutest Bates Motel pin!) and going back through a few scare zones.

Our first time at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights was a great success. We had a lot of fun and I loved how amazing everything looked, from the high production values of the mazes to the excellent performances of the scare actors to the creativity that was involved on all levels! Universal is certainly the cream of the crop when it comes to Halloween mazes!

Check out a trailer for the event:

SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Food Review: Trader Joe's Pumpkin Joe-Joe's

October 2, 2014, 3:30 pm
$
0
0

A brand new product was released at Trader Joe's for the 2014 Halloween season - Pumpkin Joe-Joe's! If you are familiar with the Trader Joe's grocery stores, you'll know that they usually have some kind of Halloween-themed Joe-Joe's, but I have never seen pumpkin ones before!

If you aren't familiar with Trader Joe's, their Joe-Joe's are like Oreos! And they are also "accidentally vegan" (unless you feel strongly about processed sugar - however, like I've said before, veganism is all about intent and not perfection, so I am fine with being 99.9% vegan, meaning I don't stress about possible trace amounts of animal ingredients). I know many people that prefer the Joe-Joe's to Oreos and they appear to be a bit healthier than regular Oreos (they are still cookies though, so it's not like they are health food!).

I found the Pumpkin Joe-Joe's just a few days after trying the brand new Pumpkin Spice Oreos (review), so I was interested in how the two stacked up. Like the Oreos, the Joe-Joe's smelled like sweet, sugary pumpkin pie goodness! The Joe-Joe's smelled more spicy to me than the Oreos, like a healthy does of cinnamon and ginger had been used in their creation.

The Joe-Joe's were made with golden cookies that sandwich together an inner layer of creamy filling, like Oreos. However, the Pumpkin Spice Oreos filling color was orange, whereas the Joe-Joe's were a cream color. The Oreos were more uniform in shape, size and filling, while the Joe-Joe's looked a bit more handmade, for example the amount of filling varied from cookie to cookie.

Appearances aside, the Joe-Joe's tasted scrumptious! Their flavor is more prominent than the Pumpkin Spice Oreos and in my opinion they taste closer to a pumpkin pie! I loved the Joe-Joe's strong notes of pumpkin pie spices along with their sugary sweetness. When I first tried the Oreos, I thought their flavor was strong, but it pales in comparison the the Joe-Joe's, and the Joe-Joe's taste better for it! Pro-tip: these are delicious on their own, but dipped in coffee or tea they are absolute heaven!

Now I need to go back and buy more since I will mow through a box of these in no time at all!
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
Search

31 Days of Halloween: Halloween 2014 Events in Orange County

October 3, 2014, 7:35 am
$
0
0
There are lots of eerie events and activities going on this month in Orange County that are sure to get you in the Halloween spirit! There seems to be something for everyone, from scary mazes for adults and teens, to kid-friendly pumpkin patches, to jaw-dropping Halloween displays everyone can enjoy!

I've compiled a handy list of some of the haunting happenings in Orange County and also listed a few events that will occur beyond OC since they were just too good to leave out! You can check out my list below, though please note this isn't an all-inclusive list of all Halloween events. If you have a favorite event I've left out, please let me know in the comments!


Anaheim's Halloween Parade

Join in the fun with Anaheim's Halloween parade on October 25th, 2014, which has been celebrating the season since 1924! Fantastic floats, a Miss Fall Festival competition, and lots of Halloween activities at the end of the parade route round out this fun tradition! This is a free event to attend, but any activities, games, etc. are extra.


Yorba Linda's Perdition Home

This is a home haunt that bills itself as the goriest, most over-the-top haunt in Orange County. Definitely not for the kids (unless your kids are awesome), but if you're looking for a blood-drenched Halloween this is the place to go this October!


San Juan Capistrano's Ghost Tours

Get in the spirit of Halloween this October by joining the Historical Society Walking Tour Guides on a spooky walking tour of Los Rios Street, the oldest residential neighborhood in California. Be prepared for creepy tales of big black dogs, strange monks who have lost their heads, ghostly tales about a lady in white and other goings on. Ticket prices and more info can be found via the link above.


Ladera Ranch's Mystic Motel 

Another home haunt, this one just debuted last year as a short, 38 second homemade Halloween dark ride built in a two-person garage, however they are making it bigger and better this year and creating a whole walk-through experience! Find more info via the link above.


Fullerton's Haunted Arboretum

Every year the Fullerton Arboretum transforms their garden into a haven for all that goes bump in the night. But don’t worry, their guides will take you safely through the treacherous paths that wind through the dark forest the evil spirits call home. Visit them on select nights this October (all info, including dates and ticket prices, can be found via the link above).


Irvine's Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch

A real, live pumpkin patch on a working farm where you can stroll among rows and rows of pumpkins until you find the perfect one! Lots of fun activities to do, too - take pics on the pile of pumpkins, take a wagon ride around the farm, watch pumpkins being shot out of a big cannon, or visit their produce stand across the street, which features more pumpkins as well as games for the kids to play and a small snack stand. Entrance to the pumpkin patch is now $2 (it was previously free...this new entrance fee is disappointing), and games, wagon rides, pumpkins, etc. are extra.


Laguna Niguel's 14th Annual Haunted Trails

Zombie’s have taken over Crown Valley Community Park! Small groups will be escorted by a trained, "Zombie Squad" to experience the haunted trails, tents, and mazes. Weave through the Zombie infestation areas until you reach the end, where will be checked out at the "infection check station" to safely leave the event. Event will be held the nights of October 23rd, 24th, 25th and is $12 per ticket.


Fullerton's Ghost Tours

Take this tour and find out what businesses have pots and pans flying around after hours, what famous deceased Fullertonian makes an “appearance” now and then, enjoy some of Fullerton's history. These tours are a celebration of local legend while sharing stories of another facet of Fullerton’s history, particularly that of the downtown. Check the site (link above) for tour prices, dates and times.


Laguna Hill's Empty Grave Haunted House 

This haunt used to be located in Anaheim, but has moved to the Laguna Hill's mall. This year promises an all-new walk-through, with new monsters ready to scare you at every turn! You will venture through a world of terror, where the dead walk among you and your wildest nightmares are brought to life! This is an intense, full themed and interactive haunted attraction and will run nights in October. Visit their site (link above) for ticketing and VIP pricing.


Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch

A really cute pumpkin patch up in the Irvine Regional Park! It's geared more towards little kids, with a train you can ride, games kids can play, and even a walk-through haunted house, plus other activities! They do such a great job decorating the place, though, it's worth a visit from Halloween-lovers of all ages! Do note that to enter the Irvine Regional Park a $5 day-use fee is required, but this gives you access to the whole park, so you could make a day of it and go hiking, have a picnic or even visit their zoo (which isn't a traditional zoo, they just take in injured wild animals native to California and rehabilitate them). Also note that games, rides, zoo admission, renting paddle boats, etc. all cost extra, but just walking through the pumpkin patch is free (besides the price of parking).


Corona del Mar's Halloween Boutique at Roger's Gardens

Every year the upscale Roger's Gardens transforms some of their space into a Halloween boutique, full of Halloween art and oddities! The setting may be hauntingly beautiful, but don’t let the elegance of your surroundings deceive you. As you wander through the chambers of our Halloween Boutique you may feel a slight chill in the air as the spirits join you. There is much to discover among the shadows. This event is free to wander around, but you will definitely be tempted to buy some of the gorgeous Halloween items on display!


Fullerton's Night of the Living Dead on Stage

Fullerton's Maverick Theater will again be presenting George Romero's classic zombie film Night of the Living Dead on stage! This live-theater version of the horror classic will run weekends in October and is definitely a fun event! Dates and ticket info in the link above.


Knott's Scary Farm

This popular attraction returns this year with several new mazes, including Voodoo, a choose-your-own-path maze, a Tooth Fairy maze, Special Ops: Infected, a new interactive experience where you are paired with a team to hunt zombies, and more! Lots of their mazes and attractions have been revamped, including a longer, scarier Trapped experience and more Elvira appearences! General Admission, VIP and even Season Passes can be purchased for this year's Scary Farm - follow the link above for more info and to purchase tickets.


Irvine's Boot Hill 

This Western-themed home haunt is near my new neighborhood so I hope to check it out this year! It is free (donations collected are donated to a local children's hospital), and has been running for 15 years now! I love home haunts (even though they are so rare nowadays) and how they bring whole communities together to scream!


Fullerton's Sinister Pointe - Sinister Pointe has a brand new location in Fullerton this year, and will be showcasing Beyond the Mirror: A Bloody Mary tale. Guests will step through the mirror and embark on an immersive journey through the blackened world in which Bloody Mary dwells. Sinister Pointe promises a highly interactive experience and offers guests the opportunity to make different decisions that will lead them down various paths, ultimately deciding their fate! They also state that guests will also be separated from their party and forced to face their fears and find their way out completely alone!


Halloween Time at Disneyland

Disneyland is decked out in Halloween decor September through October, which means you can stroll down the pumpkin-lined Main Street, meet Disney Villains, enjoy a Halloween parade and fireworks, and visit the cast of the Nightmare Before Christmas who take up a special seasonal residence at the Haunted Mansion this time of year. You can also buy tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party, which occurs on select nights and continues past regular Park hours.
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

Food Review: Califia Farms' Pumpkin Spice Latte

October 3, 2014, 1:00 pm
$
0
0

Califia Farms just announced their new Pumpkin Spice Latte Cold Brew Coffee earlier this week, and I already found it at stores yesterday! This is another one of those “holy grail” vegan items that have been released this autumn season, and we certainly are being spoiled this year! I am so glad Califia Farms has released this, since Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte is not vegan and making your own is kind of a pain. This is the perfect treat of cold brew coffee mixed with Califia Farms’ delicious almond milk and warming pumpkin spice!

I found mine at Whole Foods (the one at The District off Jamboree in Irvine/Tustin for those that are local). I can’t recall exactly how much it cost, but it was around $3.99 - $4.99. I had to hunt for it in the store - I didn't see any with the other Califia Farms almond milk products in the refrigerated milk section, but rather the Pumpkin Spice Latte bottles were with the grab and go meals towards the front of the store by the hot food stations. This might just be this particular Whole Foods, though, which has a tendency to stock stuff in weird places.

Anywho, I rushed home (you should see how I drove! Yikes!) so I could try this pumpkin-y goodness! When I first popped the top, it smelled heavenly! In fact, it smelled so delicious that I took a swig (and then another, and then another) straight from the bottle! I just couldn't wait/be bothered to get a glass.

As for the taste, oh my!! It tasted like the most delicious pumpkin pie in liquid form! I've attempted to make my own pumpkin spice lattes before, and they just never turned out right. Well, thank goodness for Califia Farms, who has answered my prayers for a delicious vegan pumpkin spice coffee drink! It was soooooo much better than the attempted PSLs I've made myself!

The consistency of the drink was rich and creamy, and a little thicker than Califia Farms’ regular almond milk. I drank this easily on its own (I had to be careful to restrain myself because I wanted to drink the whole bottle), but I think it would also be really good poured into coffee and used as a creamer (I gotta try to make this stuff last, because I’m going to be devastated when it is no longer available!).

If you love pumpkin flavored vegan things, autumn, and coffee, I love you, but also you NEED to go grab at least a couple bottles of Califia Farms’ Pumpkin Spice Latte! It is like drinking pumpkin pie with a yummy coffee kick!

Califia Farms’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is available now at Whole Foods, and will be available at other stores soon!

For more info, check Califia Farms’ website!

SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
↧

31 Days of Halloween: Vegan Autumn Beers

October 4, 2014, 8:00 am
$
0
0

It seems fitting that since today is the Vegan Oktoberfest in Santa Monica, CA that I share some vegan autumn beers with you! First, I'll explain what makes a beer vegan, then I'll get to sharing my "wish list" of vegan autumn beers!

For those that don't know, not all beer is vegan. Why? Well, there are two reasons why a beer might not be vegan. One reason is that non-vegan methods are used in the filtration/fining process. For example, a common filtration process involves using fish bladders (isenglass) in the brewing process (ew, am I right?!). Other non-vegan fining/filtration methods might also be used. The second reason a beer might not be vegan are it's actual ingredients, the most common non-vegan ingredient being honey.

If you want to double-check that your brew is vegan, Barnivore.com is a very handy resource. However, not all manufacturers/breweries/beers/etc. are always listed, so the second best thing to do is use Google and the third best thing is emailing the company directly.

Just a sampling of the vegan autumn and vegan pumpkin beers
I tried this season!

Now that you are all caught up on what constitutes if a beer is vegan, I'd like to share with you some vegan beers that are perfect for October and fall. I've tried some of these brews, but I consider the list below my "wish list" this season! I hope to find and try all the beers listed by the end of autumn. Perhaps a lofty goal, but this is the only time of year I go all out with beer drinking, so I want to make the most out of it! Gimme all the (vegan) pumpkin beers!

To the best of my knowledge, all the beers listed below are vegan, however please always double-check Barnivore.com or contact the brewery yourself. Sometimes breweries change their methods/ingredients from season-to-season, so if you aren't sure about a beer, contact the brewery itself. If you find one I've listed isn't vegan, please let me know. Otherwise, cheers and enjoy!

Vegan Autumn Beers:


Anchor Brewing Bigleaf Autumn Maple Red Ale - I haven't had the pleasure of trying this one yet, but I would assume that the maple would give it a hint of sweetness, and it is nice to have an alternative to all the pumpkin ales out there!


Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale - This is my go-to autumn ale as it is so easy to find and is consistently good! 


Bootlegger's Brewery Pumpkin Ale - This is one of the few beers I've had that actually tastes like pumpkin pie! Really love this beer, since it tastes sweet with strong pumpkin and molasses notes. One of my faves and under $5! 


Brooklyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale - It is tough to find this ale on the West Coast, but I have heard it is one of the best pumpkin ales! Hope I get to try this brew one day!


The Bruery's Autumn Maple - I first tried this delicious Belgian-style brown beer last year, and have been in love with it ever since! It is brewed with yams, molasses, maple syrup and autumn spices, which gives it a rich, distinctive taste. It's also brewed locally here in Orange County!


Buffalo Bill's Brewery - America's Original Pumpkin Ale - Regarded as one of the "first" modern pumpkin ales (hence the "America's Original" title), this pumpkin ale is much more pumpkin-y tasting than many pumpkin brews. And we aren't talking pumpkin pie taste here, no, this is more straight pumpkin taste, with hints of spice. 


Dogfish Head Punkin Ale - Another one of my faves! This Punkin Ale is brewed with fresh pumpkin meat, brown sugar, and spices. A great way to warm up on a chilly October night!


Elysian Brewing Company Night Owl Pumpkin Ale - The Seattle-based Elysian Brewing Company makes several seasonal flavors, and their Night Owl Pumpkin Ale is probably their most accessible. Each batch is brewed with seven and a half pounds of pumpkin per barrel and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Doesn't that sound delicious?


Elysian Brewing Company Great Pumpkin Ale - Yup, I couldn't pick just one from this brewery! This Imperial Pumpkin Ale has an intense pumpkin taste, with a sweet and spicy aroma. Its thick and malty backdrop mellow out the sugary and spice flavors to make it a perfect fall treat!


Indian Wells Brewing Co. Spicy Pumpkin Ale - This seems to be on the cheaper side of the seasonal pumpkin ales, and has a spicier cinnamon taste than some of the other pumpkin ales. I haven't personally tried this one yet, but it's a good option if you are budget-conscious.


Lakefront Pumpkin Lager - I don't know if I will ever be able to get my hands on this Milwaukee brewery's Pumpkin Lager, but a girl can dream, right? I believe this is the only pumpkin lager available, and it is made with candied yam and spices to create a sweet, yet nutty toasted wheat flavor.


Mendocino Pumpkin Ale - This is one of the first pumpkin ales I found in stock this year, and it is pretty decent. It has a lighter flavor profile than other pumpkin ales, but it is still drinkable and I actually enjoy the more subtle flavors when I'm in the mood for a lighter beer.


New Belgium Pumpkick Ale - This pumpkin brew has a hint of tartness that comes from the addition of cranberry juice and lemongrass during the brew process. Sounds a bit crazy, but this is what gives this New Belgium beer its kick!


Saranac Pumpkin Ale - A hearty ale brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice and ginger with a full body and amber color. They sell cheap jugs of this at BevMo for $3.99!


Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale - You can probably find this pumpkin ale at pretty much any grocery store in America, and it's a pretty tasty, economical option.


Samuel Adams Octoberfest - I picked up a six-pack of this Samuel Adams' Octoberfest way back in August, and it was one of the first autumn beers I had this year! It has a nice, warm flavor that is perfect for the beginning of fall. Another good option if you are looking for something that isn't pumpkin-flavored!


Sierra Nevada's Fall Pack - This year, Sierra Nevada is offering a Fall Pack of beer, featuring their Oktoberfest, Tumbler, Vienna, and Pale Ale beers. This wide selection of beers conveys the change that the autumn season signifies, and they've loaded this pack with widely differing options to cover whatever weather this fall may bring, from the flavors of citrusy hops to roasted malts.


Southern Tier Pumking Ale - This King of Imperial Pumpkin Ales features a strong pumpkin pie aroma, with a very strong balance of sweet and spicy flavors.


Uinta Punk’n Pumpkin Harvest Ale - This Utah-based brewery makes its brews with the renewable resources of wind and solar power! I just thought that was so cool and makes me enjoy their Punk'n seasonal brew even more! Punk'n tastes like roasted pumpkin, with hints of vanilla and autumn spices.


Weyerbacher Brewing Co's Imperial Pumpkin Ale - This 8.0% ABV pumpkin ale certainly packs a punch, and is heartier and richer than many pumpkin ales. It features strong pumpkin and caramel flavors, finishing off with spicy autumn notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of cardamom. I've never been able to find this one, but hope to try it one day!

What are your vegan beer recommendations for autumn?

What's on your beer "wish list" this season?
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

31 Days of Halloween: Spooky Short - Swamp Foetus

October 5, 2014, 9:00 am
$
0
0

I absolutely adore Pumpkinrot, a Halloween artist that creates some amazing props for his home haunts. He also created a haunting short film a few years ago called "Swamp Foetus". The short features some really cool puppets and props made by Pumpkinrot, and I really love its eerie atmosphere and ghostly score.

You can check out the short below, and please check out Pumpkinrot's incredible blog for Halloween treats year-round!
 
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧

31 Days of Halloween: Vegan Oktoberfest 2014 Report

October 6, 2014, 7:30 am
$
0
0

This past Saturday I attended the first ever Vegan Oktoberfest, held right on the beach in Santa Monica, California. Oktoberfest is such a quintessential October celebration, I was so, so excited that we finally had an all-vegan option for this celebration of drink and food! I had grabbed early-bird VIP tickets (cost: $50 each, though after the early bird sale they went up to $65 each) pretty much the day they announced the event many months back, so I had been eagerly anticipating attending this vegan event.

This was around noon when we first got there...I wish I had an 
"after" picture to show what it looked like later!

Of course, a Southern Californian heat wave just had to occur on the weekend of the event, so that was a major bummer. It was in the high 90s, even right on the beach. That also meant that droves turned out for a beach day, making parking at the event a nightmare. With VIP tickets, I had early entry and showed up early, but the lot the event organizers said there would be parking in was already full (half of it taken up by the event itself), so we wasted a good 1/2 hour - 45 minutes driving around looking for alternate parking. We finally found a lot, but we could only park there for 4 hours, definitely putting a damper on the event before we even got there. Event organizers (this goes for all events, not just this one) - PLEASE figure out the parking situation and let your patrons know ahead of time. We would have arrived a lot earlier if we knew parking was going to be such a pain in the ass.

Lots and lots of tables, but these filled up ridiculously fast! I also
wish the canopy made it shadier instead of just providing 
light cover from the awful heat.

We finally arrived at the event, already annoyed. We got there a little after noon, which was the VIP entry time. There was no line, and we got in really fast after showing our IDs, getting our tickets scanned and getting our VIP wristbands. We picked up our mini beer steins (about 5 oz. size, similar to Vegan Beer Fest's beer glasses, though these were plastic) and were good to go! At this point, the lines for everything were pretty short, so I made a beeline for Sage Vegan Bistro and got their pretzels ($7 each), with some maple and jalapeno dipping sauces. YUM! I knew the food lines would be atrocious later, so while Mister Spooky went and got us beer, I hit up Southern Fried Vegan and picked up a beer brat with with kraut in a pretzel bun, which was $12 with a bag of chips (unfortunately, their Deep Fried Cheez Steaks weren't ready yet, so I didn't get to try those, dammit). I also tried The Grilled Cheese Truck's special vegan option, which my friend bought, so I don't know the price. It was some kind of grilled cheese with sauerkraut and sausage (sorry, don't remember the name!). The same friend also got Sage's fish and chips, which I tried as well. I loved the pretzels, beer brat and grilled cheese sandwich, but though the texture of the fish was (scarily) spot-on, I didn't care for the flavor too much. The "chips" (aka French fries) were perfect, though!

Food I tried, clockwise from top left: grilled cheese sauerkraut 
sausage sammie from The Grilled Cheese Truck, pretzels with 
dipping sauces from Sage, fish and chips from Sage, beer brat
 from Southern Fried Vegan.

After all that food and multiple brews, I needed something sweet, so I headed over to Life is Sweet Bakeshop for their three beer cupcakes (all three for $10!) and traditional apple strudel ($4.50). The three flavors of the cupcakes were Pumpkin Spice, German Chocolate, and Lemon Wheat, and they were all made with beer from several breweries at the fest! They were the highlight of the festival for me - so light, fluffy and delicious!! The icing was divine and the flavor was out-of-this-world. As you probably know, I am partial to all things pumpkin, so I assumed that would be my favorite cupcake. However, after sampling all three I can't pick a clear favorite because they were all so dang amazing! I also tried the apple strudel from Life is Sweet. It was made the traditional way, with raisins, but you could also get it without the raisins if you preferred. I got it traditional style and loved every bite!

Beer cupcakes from Life is Sweet!

I also got to try KindKreme's vegan ice cream for the first time. I got their Cookies and Cream flavor and it was a welcome respite from the heat! I thought the consistency was a bit grainy, and the aftertaste was funky, but overall it was okay. I also tried their berry flavor, and I thought that tasted way better than the Cookies and Cream one I got. One scoop ran me $4.38 (yes, I remember the stupid .38 because I had to dig through change to find it...can't they just make it $4 as advertised??).

Kind Kreme's Cookies n Cream ice cream.

I was happy to see that Nary Dairy was on hand, and got several samples of their delicious nut-based vegan cheese. I loved those guys, they were so friendly and sweet! They and the people from Life is Sweet definitely had the nicest people working their booth! I think their cheeses are my new favorite (sorry, Parmela!), and I left the fest with three of their flavors. They were definitely another food highlight from Oktoberfest!

Picked up three Nary Dairy cheeses - their special Bavarian Beer flavor,
Chia Cheddar and Hickory Smoked! All so delicious!

Favorite brews included Einstok's Icelandic White Ale and Four Son's Vanilla Bean brew, with Einstok being my clear favorite! I didn't get to try many other brews, as I was the designated driver for the event. Definitely gonna seek out some Einstok now, though! Great beer!

So, after getting all the food I could and drinking as many brews possible in an hour, the general admission people started to be let in and that's when it clearly got clusterfucked. It got over-crowded really fast, and we had to leave at 3:30 anyway because the lot where we parked had a 4 hour maximum. It was probably for the best that we left early, because it got so overcrowded you could barely walk. Plus, you couldn't really talk to anyone you ran into because the music was so freaking loud. Seriously, I don't need to hear "The Chicken Dance" for the 1,000th time at full blast, thanks. I go to concerts all the time, but for a festival the music was just too loud and annoying. And when it got overcrowded, you couldn't even sit down...the special VIP section was always full with no place to sit and the regular area was full as well. I really appreciate they had actual places to sit, but the VIP area was tiny and needed to be bigger to accommodate everyone who bought a ticket.

Traditional apple strudel from Life is Sweet Bakeshop!

Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate that there is a Vegan Oktoberfest and I am lucky to have such an event in my area, however, I hope they make improvements if they ever have this again, because there was some serious issues that need to be addressed and I am not sure if I would ever attend this event again. You'll find my pros and cons below.

Pros:

  • VIP entry was quick and easy.
  • VIP was worth it ONLY to take advantage of the short lines for 1 hour before general admission - protip: buy all the food you want during this hour, because you DO NOT want to wait in the long lines after GA is let in.
  • It was 21 and over. If they had let kids or people with strollers in I probably would have murdered somebody. So glad it was 21 and over! 
  • There was a good selection of breweries on-hand. 
  • There was a decent selection of food available, a big enough selection where I didn't get to try everything I wanted. 
  • I liked that they had a big section of tables and chairs where you could eat your food and rest (though these filled up fast and later you couldn't find a place to sit).
  • The Porta Potties were set up in two locations and there was never a line. They were pretty clean, too.
  • Bottled water was only $1.

Cons:

  • Parking was awful. Next time they should more clearly anticipate the large crowds and tell people exact locations of alternate options to park at (and not just the crappy 4 hour lots!!!). 
  • The location itself was meh. I didn't like that it was just in the parking lot...it would have been better if it was in the adjacent park (though I'm not sure if this would have been possible due to city regulations). And can they pick a location that is not smack-dab in the one of the most popular beach spots? Maybe somewhere off-the-beaten path where traffic isn't hell? Maybe they could consider hosting the event inside a building as well - I don't get the appeal of outside festivals. 
  • The VIP section was too small - I didn't even get to utilize it since it was always full. It felt like a rip-off that we didn't get access to what we paid for.
  • Some of the selections for food vendors was iffy - the Green Truck was there, even though they have lied about stuff being vegan when it really wasn't before. It seems like the organizers could have selected more honest and dedicated vegan food trucks or better vegan vendors. 
  • It was nice they had lots of tables and chairs, but these still filled up fast! They definitely needed more room for the 1,000s of people that attended.
  • The music was too loud and I couldn't even hear what friends were saying. Seriously, no reason for it to be so loud except to annoy patrons. Not to mention the band played the same two songs over and over again. Spend more money on a bigger, better venue and just ditch the band next time. 
  • Not enough shade, especially since we were all walking around a hot parking lot. Definitely needed more shade and maybe a "cool-off" station with misters. 
  • They had Bavarian maidens, but why not Bavarian dudes for the ladies??
  • The crowds. By far the biggest complaint of everyone there! There was barely any room to walk inside the event and when we left there were still people waiting to get IN (I guess the event reached its capacity early on and they couldn't let anyone in unless people left due to fire and city codes). I know people that just ended up leaving before they got in because the entry line was so long. Even if they had gotten in, they would have faced daunting lines for food or missed out on food/beer since many places were selling out. TONS of people are complaining about the event being oversold. Vegan Oktoberfest needs to consider either getting a bigger (and better) venue, or releasing less tickets so their event isn't so crowded. Soooo many people are asking for refunds because they couldn't get in, or they got in and couldn't do anything because the lines were long and it was too crowded to move. Poor planning, Oktoberfest, and I hope you are refunding people!
I feel like such a grumpy vegan ragging on this event, but I honestly didn't have that great of a time. I felt like they could have planned the event a lot better and overall was let-down and disappointed. I know this is their first year, so I have to give them a bit of slack due to that, but they need to make serious improvements in coming years. I love that a vegan event completely sold out, but if it's poorly planned and ill-executed, people won't be back next year. 

I had really hoped Oktoberfest would be a fun kick-off to my October, but it was more disappointing than anything else. 

For more info, visit Vegan Oktoberfest's website or Facebook page.
SOURCE: www.thespookyvegan.com
↧
Viewing all 927 articles
Browse latest View live
Search