Watch Now on Netflix: Killer Legends

April 9, 2015, 3:30 am

≫ Next: Food Review: Neat Meat Replacement Mixes

I watch a lot of Netflix and am always looking for new things to watch, so I thought I would start this new section called "Watch Now on Netflix" to recommend titles I've recently enjoyed! All titles are streaming on Netflix at the time of posting, but you can also find them on other streaming services, on DVD or on Blu-ray (links below will lead to titles' Amazon pages).

The other night I watched Killer Legends, a documentary that follows Joshua Zeman (who brought us the chilling documentary Cropsey which I also highly recommend) and Rachel Mills as they explore four urban legends and their shocking true-life origins. They find that the truth is sometimes far more horrifying than fiction.

We follow the duo as they delve into the urban legends of "the hook man" or the cautionary tale about an escaped mental patient with a hook for a hand killing or nearly killing teenagers parked on Lover's Lane, the warnings of tainted Halloween candy, killer clowns, and the ever-popular tale of babysitters being stalked/murdered by a crazed lunatic.

Juxtaposed against these are the true-life tales that may have inspired these well-known urban legends - the Moonlight Murders that took place in Texarkana in the 1940's that were attributed to "The Phantom" and inspired the horror movie The Town That Dreaded Sundown and its recent remake, the heartbreaking case of a young boy being poisoned by candy after trick or treating on Halloween and the monster responsible, who has also been called the man who ruined Halloween, the strange sightings in the 1980s in Chicago of a clown trying to lure children into a van and the most famous evil clown, Pogo, or John Wayne Gacy, a serial killer responsible for the deaths of many young males, and finally the unsolved murder of Janett Christman, who was brutally killed in the 1950s while babysitting.

I really enjoyed this documentary, which was released in 2014. I stumbled upon it just browsing Netflix, and truth be told it actually looked a little cheesy at first, so I put off watching it. I finally gave it a try and I'm glad I did, because this documentary was captivating!

It shows real footage and often grisly photos of the actual crimes that are supposedly the origins of these four urban legends and it does an excellent job of tying everything together..Zeman and Mills visit the towns and cities where the real-life crimes took place, and go to the locations of the actual crime scenes as well as interview investigators, townsfolk, psychologists and other experts on the cases and the urban legends. It was very interesting to discover what might be the origins of urban legends, and most of the time the truth was far more shocking than the legends themselves.

Killer Legends is an excellent documentary, and I suggest you watch it now!

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Food Review: Neat Meat Replacement Mixes

April 13, 2015, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Food Review: Neat Egg Replacer Mix Plus S'mores Cookie Recipe

≪ Previous: Watch Now on Netflix: Killer Legends

Neat booth at Expo West 2015

While covering the Natural Products Expo West last month (read my recap here!), I was lucky enough to stop by the Neat booth, where I sampled their breakfast mix and was blown away at the how good it tasted! I knew that I needed to try ALL of their mix flavors and the kind folks at the family-owned Neat were kind enough to send me all their products for review.

Neat offers meat replacements that come in a dry mix, and you just need to add water and an egg replacer (like their Neat Egg, made from chia seeds and garbanzo beans) to make them! They offer a variety of flavors to suit any occasion! They have an Italian Mix, perfect for pastas and lasagna, a Mexican Mix, great for tacos and nachos, an Original Mix, awesome for burgers and chili, and a Breakfast Mix, ideal for sausages and quiches.

All of the Neat mixes are made with simple natural ingredients, and their base is pecans and garbanzo beans! Can't get much more natural than that! Other ingredients that go into making these delicious mixes include gluten-free oats or cornmeal, garlic, onion, sea salt and spices. That's it! No hard-to-pronounce ingredients and with Neat, you know you are getting something made with natural, healthy ingredients. In addition, all their products are gluten-free, soy-free, non-GMO and veg!

I tried all of their mixes and used their amazing Neat Egg to make them all. The method for preparing all the Neat mixes is the same. You just mix water + a Neat Egg + a Neat mix. I LOVE how easy and fast it it! I did want to give some pointers when using the Neat Egg. You mix some Neat Egg with water to create a vegan egg substitute, and this Neat Egg forms into a glue-like binder. The Neat Egg is plenty sticky, so you gotta use some muscle to get it to incorporate into the Neat mix. If you need to, you can add a bit more water. Also, I found that spraying my hands with a little bit of oil helped me work better with the mix and get it formed into patties without the mix sticking to me too much. Besides using it in the Neat mixes, the Neat Egg can also be used in vegan baking, and I cannot wait to try it in vegan cookies or brownies!

I tried all four of their mixes, and I was overall impressed with Neat. They were easy to make, cooked well, tasted good, and are versatile. I'll run down what I made with each mix and what I thought of each flavor below.

Breakfast sandwich featuring Neat's Breakfast Mix, Field Roast

Chao vegan cheese, Sweet Earth's Benevolent (vegan) Bacon, plus

a side of a hash brown (from Trader Joe's) and more

Benevolent Bacon!

The first thing I made was their Breakfast Mix, since I had such fond memories of it from Expo! I made sausage patties with the mix, using just water and the recommended Neat Egg to make them. They were easy to form into patties and grilled up really nicely in my cast iron pan. I served them on a toasted English muffin with some of Field Roast's Creamy Original Chao and Sweet Earth's Benevolent Bacon, along with a side of hash browns and more Benevolent Bacon! Whew, was I ever full after this breakfast! Like at Expo, I really loved the flavor of the breakfast sausage. It kept me really full all morning long!

That breakfast sammie featuring Neat's Breakfast Mix was STACKED!

Fully loaded Neat burgers! The one on the left is stacked with grilled

onions, lettuce, Creamy Original Chao cheese, and BBQ sauce.

The double-decker on the right boasts fresh tomatoes, onions, lettuce,

ketchup and mustard. NOM!

Back to the mixes, next I prepared the Original Mix and decided to make burgers with it. I used the Neat Egg and my oil trick above to form the patties, and like the breakfast sausages, they were easy-peasy to make! I grilled them in my cast iron pan and made some seriously drool-worthy burgers with them! I like how they cooked up so well, held their burger shapes strongly (no crumbling here), were filling and tasted great!

Italian ragu made with Neat and served over pasta!

For their Italian Mix I went back to my Italian roots and made a ragu, which is traditionally an Italian meat sauce served over pasta. This time after mixing the water, Neat Egg and mix, I placed it in my cast-iron pan and cooked it up like I would meat crumbles. I then added the Neat crumbles to the tomato sauce I had simmering on the stove, mixed it all up and poured it over freshly cooked pasta. YUM! I totally had flashbacks to when I was a kid and my parents used to make ragu! This may have been my favorite use of the Neat mixes! It completely mimicked the feel and taste of meat and I feel like I could serve this to my Italian parents and they totally couldn't tell the difference! I think this mix would work exceptionally well in lasagna as well.

Tacos made with Neat Mexican Mix, refried beans, shredded

cruciferous veggies, olives, cilantro, salsa, and Follow Your

Heart's Vegan Gourmet Cheddar Shreds.

My last mix was the Mexican flavor, which I prepared like the Italian mix and made into crumbles for tacos! This was probably my second favorite preparation after the ragu pasta sauce! The crumbles had such a great flavor and worked so well with the other ingredients! I can't wait to have this again, maybe in an enchilada or on nachos...mmmmmm!

You can find Neat mixes and the Neat Egg conveniently sold at Target stores as well as health food stores (here in Orange County Mother's Markets carry it). Neat has a very handy store locator on their site, just type in your zip and it'll tell you what stores around you carry it! If you can't find the flavor you want at your store or if you live in an area where it isn't readily available, you can order Neat through their online store as well!

Please support this small, independent and family-owned company and their delicious creations! Fun fact: Neat originally started because two little girls of a husband and wife said they wouldn't eat meat anymore after learning the truth about where their food comes from, so their mom and dad played around with making a healthy meat replacement that would satisfy the whole family! Thanks to those two little girls, their mom's cooking skills, and the entrepreneurial spirit of the whole family we now can Eat Neat!

Learn more about Neat on their website!

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Food Review: Neat Egg Replacer Mix Plus S'mores Cookie Recipe

April 14, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Watch Now on Netflix: Wolfcop

≪ Previous: Food Review: Neat Meat Replacement Mixes

I previously reviewed all of Neat's meat replacement mixes (check 'em out here!), but I wanted to do a separate post to highlight their awesome new egg replacer, called the Neat Egg! I used it in all of the Neat mixes I tried, and it worked wonderfully, but I also wanted to try baking with it.

The Neat Egg is pretty awesome if you ask me! Not only is it versatile and can be used in cooking and baking, but it is also only made with two ingredients - chia seeds and garbanzo beans! That means it is totally natural, plus it is gluten-free, non-GMO, soy-free, and, of course, vegan! It comes in a dry mix, and to replace one egg you just mix together one tablespoon of the Neat Egg with two tablespoons of water and add to your recipe! It's so easy and it is a fantastic binder!

To try out the Neat Egg in baking, I decided to make good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies (with a twist, as you'll see and have probably guessed from the title of this post). I decided to use a non-vegan recipe and veganized it as I went along. As a kid, I baked a lot with my grandma, who had this huge Betty Crocker cookbook. So, I decided to go with Betty's chocolate chip recipe, I just subbed out the eggs with the Neat Egg and the butter with Earth Balance. And then I realized I had a bag of Dandies mini marshmallows and decided to throw those in as well and make s'mores cookies, cuz why not?!

The Neat Egg worked extremely well with baking these cookies! In fact, and I do not say this lightly, it is the best egg replacement I've used in vegan baking! It works so much better than applesauce (which is what I primarily use in baking to replace eggs), bananas, or other egg replacements. The Neat Egg worked wonderfully and completely mimicked eggs in baking. My cookies have never come out so freaking perfect!

S'mores cookies made with the Neat Egg, chocolate chips and

Dandies mini vegan marshmallows!

I cannot wait to try the Neat Egg in other baking recipes, and I seriously want to go out and buy a pallet of this stuff just so I always have it on-hand. I wholeheartedly recommend it, and it is easily found with other Neat products at Target or at your local health food store. You can also order it online directly from Neat's online store!

Mmmmmmm biting into this S'mores cookie is

like getting a big, warm hug!

And now for that s'mores cookie recipe I promised! You can find the original chocolate chip recipe from Betty Crocker HERE, and my veganized, s'more-ified recipe below:

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup organic coconut sugar (I use the kind from Trader Joe's)
3/4 cup packed organic brown sugar (I use the kind from Trader Joe's)
1 cup Earth Balance vegan butter, slightly softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Neat Egg (1 tablespoon of Neat Egg + 2 tablespoons of water)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Dairy Free Chocolate DREAM Semi Sweet Baking Chips), or more or less to your liking
1/4 cup Dandies Vegan Mini Marshmallows, or more or less to your liking

Directions:

Heat oven to 375ºF. Place parchment paper (or Silpat Silicone Baking Mat) on two cookie sheets.
Make the Neat Egg in a large bowl. Add both types of sugar, Earth Balance and vanilla and mix all together.
Add the flour and baking soda to the bowl and mix everything together until all blended.
Stir in the chocolate chips and the Dandies mini marshmallows (add more or less to your liking). Careful not to have too many marshmallows in each cookie, as they will expand during baking! Usually one or two mini marshmallows per rounded tablespoon of cookie dough will do it!
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, onto cookie sheets covered with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, keeping the cookies about 2 inches apart
Bake 8 to 10 minutes until light brown (the marshmallows will puff up to 2x their original size...this is okay! Don't panic!).
Let cool for about 5 or so minutes or until the marshmallows deflate, then transfer to wire racks to cool further.
Best enjoyed warm, but will still be good for a few days (if they last that long) if stored in an airtight container.

The perfect cookie - slightly crispy on the outside, just moist

enough on the inside with a good crumble - all thanks to

the Neat Egg!

These s'mores cookies have a delicious taste and texture that I think is owed in large part to the Neat Egg. It's truly a wonderful product and I truly look forward to continuing to use it in baking as well as cooking.

For more info, please visit Neat's site, www.eatneat.com!

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Watch Now on Netflix: Wolfcop

April 15, 2015, 4:00 pm

≫ Next: The 3rd Annual Spook Show at the Halloween Club

≪ Previous: Food Review: Neat Egg Replacer Mix Plus S'mores Cookie Recipe

Wolfcop is a 2014 release that started streaming on Netflix recently and I was instantly drawn to its B-movie vibe! After watching it, I think it is a great mix of comedy/horror and is perfect for a horror movie night with friends or something to throw a few beers back with.

Synopsis: After being transformed into a werewolf, boozy cop Lou Garou uses his new powers to tangle with devil worshipers, shape-shifters and other minions of evil.

Wolfcop has an engaging story, unique characters, slapstick, gore, shapeshifting, and one hairy cop. Plus, its transformation scenes, pivotal for any werewolf movie worth its salt, are done really well! I also love how the film throws it back to '80s horror flicks, has clever little werewolf references (I mean, the cop's name is Lou Garou, when the French "loup garou" means werewolf), and the plot keeps you guessing as you try to uncover the mysteries, both past and present, that surround the town.

If you are looking for a fun horror movie, watch Wolfcop on Netflix now!

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The 3rd Annual Spook Show at the Halloween Club

April 16, 2015, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Product Review: Balanced Guru Energy Mists

≪ Previous: Watch Now on Netflix: Wolfcop

Last month I attended the Halloween Club's 3rd Annual Spook Show in La Mirada, California. This was my first time attending this event, which brings together Halloween enthusiasts and Halloween/horror/gothic vendors, plus, a huge discount on merchandise from the Halloween Club (I believe they were offering 40% off). The vendors are all set up in the parking lot of the Halloween Club, and offer diverse wares such as art, jewelry, horror merchandise, purses, hair accessories, masks, toys, Halloween decor and props, gothic furniture, t-shirts, taxidermy, and much, much more! There are booths for those representing local haunts, attractions and conventions, people dressed in elaborate costumes, food trucks, a stage with music acts and host, and more fantastical fun! Plus, it is free to attend!

Silly/sinister pumpkins greet guests!

I was very excited for this event, and Mister Spooky and I got there a little after it opened, around noon, on a sweltering Saturday. We got one of the last spots in a dusty field they used as a parking lot, and then stood in a looooong line, which was weird since it was a free event, so why the line? Turns out it was to fill out raffle forms (i.e. an easy way for them to collect your contact info so they can add you to their mailing lists), so when we finally were handed some VIP badges (everyone got these, so they were just kinda a pass to get in, I guess) we skipped all the raffle/photo nonsense and walked in to the actual event. I wish they would just let people in without having us wait in line to sign up for the raffle, because we got awfully hot and annoyed standing on asphalt in full sun in 90 degree weather Other people in line were pretty peeved, too, so it wasn't just us...just saying, it's something you should think about Halloween Club.

Gorgeous jewelry by Melissa Korda

Luckily, once we finally got in and I saw all the goodies they had my annoyance melted away. They had all kinds of neat stuff from all kinds of vendors. While Mister Spooky grabbed us some drinks (there were a few food trucks there, though of course nothing vegan), I took a looksie at some beautiful handmade jewelry and made my first purchases of the day - I got a beautiful black cat necklace and a bat necklace from the lovely Melissa Korda! I wanted all of her jewelry and she was such a sweetie!

This was probably my favorite booth! So many goodies!

We trick or treated through the rows, stopping at any interesting-looking shops. I loved a Halloween booth run by a pleasant lady - she had so much stuff to look at and for cheap! I bought a little vintage-looking black cat candle from her for $2. It felt like a Halloween-themed garage sale and I loved all the treasures in her booth! I just wish I would have purchased more from her!

Bearded Lady Vintage booth manned by these fine young gentlemen!

We also got to see Bearded Lady Vintage, who has an adorably eerie storefront in Burbank! We had just visited them a week or two prior, so it was nice to see them again! They had lots of cool specimens, taxidermy, curios and artwork for sale!

There were even some places selling gothic furniture, like this adorable coffin-shaped bookcase along with other home decor for those that prefer the dark side! And of course, there were lots of masks, props, and monsters for sale! Check out a few in the photos below:

Macabre masks galore!

Haunt props just hanging around!

This is what my nightmares look like! Eeeeeeek!

They're coming for you, Barbara!

They even had a small hearse show out in the parking lot that we meandered through on our way out. We probably stayed at the show for about an hour to an hour and a half - we pretty much saw everything twice, but we didn't go into the Halloween Club itself (it was far too packed!). We would have probably stayed longer if it hadn't been so hot (of course not the organizers fault, but I do not do well in heat at all).

It's your funeral, buddy.

The Great Pumpkin is here!

Despite the annoyances at the beginning of the show (parking, getting in), I gotta say I had a pretty good time. I was sooooo happy to be able to have a Halloween celebration of sorts in March and to see so much cool stuff! I discovered some awesome vendors and artists, and purchased some very cool pieces. Here are some of the goodies I got, all for less than $60 I'd say:

Cemetery framed photographs by Grave Visions, prints and small "Scrabble" necklace by Lupe Flores, coffin keychain by Black Willow Gallery, vintage cat candle by an unknown vendor (the one with all the cool stuff!!), and necklaces by Melissa Korda.

Close up of the necklaces by Melissa Korda (the black cat and bat necklaces),

Lupe Flore's Betty necklace (painted on a Scrabble piece), and wooden coffin
keychain by Black Willow Gallery.

All in all, I would go again, but would make sure I got there earlier to get better parking and head straight for the entrance rather than wasting time in a raffle line. I definitely love supporting local artists and other local independent businesses that vend at this function, and of course LOVE celebrating Halloween in the springtime! Did you go, and if so, what goodies did you find?

For more info, visit the Spook Show's website!

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Product Review: Balanced Guru Energy Mists

April 17, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: John Carpenter's Music Video for "Night"

≪ Previous: The 3rd Annual Spook Show at the Halloween Club

Balanced Guru's Energy Mists

I discovered so many incredible new products at last month's Natural Products Expo West! One amazing company I came across was Balanced Guru, who makes aromatherapy scents/perfumes called Energy Mists to help elevate or regulate moods and feelings. I briefly discussed them in my best products of Expo West post (read here), but I wanted to give them their own full post, as they were kind enough to send me home from Expo with a travel kit of their Energy Mists, which I've been using ever since!

Here are the scents I received:

Understanding, an organic open-minded, transcendental wisdom. This one allows you to find your balance through grace and understanding, and contains these essentials: frankincense, cypress, benzoin, cedarwood, ginger, and pine.

Guilt-Free, an organic sensual and emotional pleasure. This one allows you to find balance through feelings and pleasure, and contains these essentials: mandarin, Bulgarian rose, geranium, lavender, patchouli, and ylang ylang.

Fearless, an organic blend of grounding and stabilizing support. This one helps you find balance through stillness and security with its essential blend of lavender, Roman chamomile, geranium, palmarosa, neroli, and petitgrain.

Intuition, an organic and intuitive vision of the invisible. This one helps you find balance through dreams and symbols, through an essential blend of palmarosa, rosemary, lavender, lemon, Roman chamomile, and pine.

Truthful, is an organic and creative choice of honesty. This creates balance through honesty and creativity with the help of essentials Roman chamomile, cypress, eucalyptus, lemon, palmarosa, and grapefruit.

Empowering is an organic playful and powerful combustion. This one helps you find balance through laughter and joy with its essentials of sandalwood, vetiver, ginger, lavender, bergamot, and benzoin.

Full of Love is an organic peaceful and compassionate spell, creating balance through love and compassion. It is comprised of the essentials of marjoram, rosemary, helichrysum, Bulgarian rose, palmarosa, and bergamot.

Balanced Guru's Energy Mist Travel Kit

The mists came in a cute lil' travel bag that I can stick in my purse and take wherever I go, plus each mist had its own card explaining its benefits and which essentials are included in each scent. I loved how I could take the travel kit everywhere with me and how I could just pull out the cards and pick a scent based on what energy boost I needed at the time!

Once I started using the scents, I found myself feeling better and more at ease and peace. I think that aromatherapy can really help ease someone's mind, and that's what these Energy Mists did for me! After spritzing some on, I found my anxiety was less, and the scents lasted for a good couple of hours so I could sniff myself (haha, is that weird?) whenever I felt any anxiety rising.

These scents are perfect to use at work to calm me down, but I also love using them at home, too, either by spritzing myself or the room I am in. When I was at Expo I used them as well and they really helped me not get overwhelmed by all the crowds and people. As a worrisome introvert that has mild anxiety, a lot of things stress me out, but I found that the Energy Sprays really help me keep a balanced mind, get me focused, and dispel anxieties I get around groups of people, while at work facing deadlines, or when facing other challenges, big or small.

I really enjoyed all the scents, but I think my favorite was Fearless! I loved its calming scent that just smells so homey and pleasant. I should also mention that besides mood boosters, all the Energy Mists make phenomenal perfumes! Their scents are natural and unique, with strong herbal notes, which I absolutely adore! Even if they didn't have any mood-boosting powers, I would probably just wear these for the scents alone! Lucky for us, Balanced Guru's Energy Mists make us smell and feel amazing!

I highly recommend Balanced Guru's Energy Mists, which are cruelty-free, vegan, organic, and all-around intoxicating! Balanced Guru is also a sustainable company and uses recycled products for packaging, etc., whenever they can, which I really admire in a company. Fun fact - their booth at Expo was made out of recycled cardboard and was so cute!

You can find more info on Balanced Guru (they makes lots of other awesome health and beauty products) and purchase these Energy Mists on their website!

Also, Vegan Cuts is offering a limited-edition discount on the Balanced Guru Energy Mist Travel Kit, but hurry as it is almost sold out! You can find the offer HERE!

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John Carpenter's Music Video for "Night"

April 17, 2015, 5:30 pm

≫ Next: Recipe: Rustic Tuscan Summer Bread Salad

≪ Previous: Product Review: Balanced Guru Energy Mists

Unless you've been living in a far off land or under a rock, you probably know that John Carpenter released a glorious debut solo album called Lost Themes back in February. Yes, thatJohn Carpenter, the legendary director and composer behind Halloween, Escape From New York, They Live, Assault on Precinct 13, and many more!

I love the whole album, which is very evocative of the '80s and many of Carpenter's own films and film scores. Whenever I listen to Lost Themes, I feel like it's a soundtrack that's been created specifically for me and that I'm in the middle of my very own film. It's that powerful and atmospheric!

And if that weren't enough, just yesterday Carpenter released the official music video for one of his tracks, "Night". It's one of my favorite new songs off the new album, and seeing the video was such a treat I wanted to share it with you all! Check it out:

John Carpenter's Lost Themes is out now on CD and LP from Sacred Bones Records.

The digital edition with remixes by Blanck Mass, Zola Jesus, ohGr, Silent Servant, JG Thirlwell, and Bill Kouligas is available on iTunes and on Amazon.

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Recipe: Rustic Tuscan Summer Bread Salad

April 21, 2015, 8:30 am

≫ Next: Earth Day is Everyday if You're Vegan

≪ Previous: John Carpenter's Music Video for "Night"

Not many people know this, but I was actually born near Florence, Italy and moved to the States with my parents when I was around 4 years old (my mom was American, and my dad Italian, so I have dual citizenship). Even though we moved to the States, I grew up on Tuscan cooking, with recipes handed down to my dad from my Italian Nonna. These recipes are near and dear to my heart since I was never able to meet my Italian grandparents.

With some help from my parents, I've decided to veganize the Tuscan dishes I grew up with, and share these veganized recipes with you. Luckily, some are already vegan (like today's recipe), so I'll be sharing those as well, since many aren't commonly know outside of Tuscany.

My first recipe I'd like to share is Panzanella, which is a bread salad dish typically served on hot summer days. I know that bread salad sounds a little weird, but trust me, it's actually quite delicious! And if you're a carb queen like myself, you'll love it!!

Panzanella is believed to have originated in Tuscany by peasants seeking to use up every last bit of their bread and letting none of it go to waste. It is essentially soaked stale bread mixed with tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar. Modern variations have added cucumber (and that's how I ate it growing up), so I've included that in the recipe below as it adds a nice crunch to the salad.

This is an easy-to-make dish that can be used as a side or a main, plus it is the perfect no-cook recipe for those hot summer days when you just want something light and refreshing for lunch or dinner!

Rustic Tuscan Summer Bread Salad aka Panzanella

Ingredients:

1 loaf of day-old crusty Italian peasant bread like ciabatta, cut into large pieces
1 lb. of Roma tomatoes
1 large English cucumber, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 red onion, diced
1 generous handful of shredded fresh basil
Equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing
Dashes of salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Take your bread and chop or tear it up into large cubes or chunks. Throw it all in a large bowl and cover the chunks of bread with cool water so they are totally submerged. Soak the pieces of bread in water for about one hour (make sure your day-old bread is dried out enough to ensure it soaks up enough water without becoming mushy - if you don't think it's dry enough pop the bread cubes in the oven on 300 degrees for roughly 10 minutes).

Soaking the bread in a large bowl

While the bread is soaking, chop up your tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Tear or cut the basil into small pieces (I like to chiffonade mine). Toss all these veggies and basil into a big bowl and lightly drizzle with high-quality olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss.

Getting ready to chop the veggies

Once the bread has soaked, use a strainer to drain the water. Then use your hands to squeeze the excess water from each individual piece of bread. The cubes should still be wet, but not soaking wet. At this point the bread should easily crumble into smaller pieces. You can leave them in cubes, or crumble them up into smaller pieces (which is what I do).

Wonderfully colorful and perfect for spring or summer!

Throw the bread into the bowl with the veggies and mix up well. Place in the fridge for at least an hour so the flavors can develop. When you are ready to serve, dress each individual serving with extra olive oil and balsamic vinegar, adding more salt and/or pepper if needed.

Ah, panzanella is like a taste of my childhood! So simple, homey and delicious!

This will last a few days in the fridge as long as it is sealed tight and is best served cold.

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Earth Day is Everyday if You're Vegan

April 22, 2015, 11:44 am

≫ Next: My Sweet 666th Post: Death Artwork, Death Zines and the Upcoming Death Salon

≪ Previous: Recipe: Rustic Tuscan Summer Bread Salad

Happy 45th Earth Day, a wonderful day to be grateful for our home and reflect on how we might change our habits to preserve and protect the Earth and all the lives it contains. As Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day stated, “Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures.”

How can we achieve this "environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures"? Well, we can start by treating everyday like Earth Day! The simplest and most effective way to do this is adopting a plant-based diet! If you decide to ditch dairy, eggs, and meat, your impact will be tremendous. Not only will you help the environment and all those that live on this Earth, but with by focusing on a plant-based or vegan diet, you will also improve your own health and help save animals from unimaginable cruelties.

What we do every single day makes a difference, and the choice of what we eat has a huuuuuge impact, an impact that most people underestimate. If you choose vegan, you are treating everyday like Earth Day, because not only are you valuing the life of all the creatures on this Earth, but by not eating animals or animal products you are also saving the environment.

By going vegan, you make a significant impact by:

Conserving water - A study at Cornell University found that producing one pound of animal protein requires about 100 times more water than producing one pound of grain protein. Another study adds to the overflow of evidence finding that the amount of water needed to produce one pound of beef is almost 1,600 gallons, compared to just 102 gallons for a pound of wheat. - via One Green Planet
Conserving natural spaces and wildlife - More than 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared in order to grow more grain for factory farm animals, not to mention the clearcutting of rainforests that is occurring in other countries in order to grow food to feed animals that are then slaughtered to feed people. All this depletion of land often results in eco-systems being destroyed and even extinction of species,
Reducing pollution - Factory farming is a major pollutant of the air and a major contributor of climate change, with at least 18% of greenhouse gas emissions being attributed to livestock. Not only does it pollute the air, but the run-off from factor farming also poisons ground water (ahem, where do you think all the poop and pee from these poor animals goes? That's right, it seeps into the ground polluting our water supply. Ick). This run-off also contains dangerous levels of hormones, antibiotics, as well as other nasties they are pumping livestock with - scary stuff, considering it ultimately ends up in the water supply.
Reducing waste - Feeding animals nutrients (plants) just so we can consume them and get those nutrients is so wasteful. As Colleen Patrick Goudreau states in her article "5 Things You Can Do For Earth Day Everyday", "The amount of resources it takes to bring animals into the world only to kill them is obscene and wasteful. Right now, we’re going through the animals to get to the nutrients that the animals take in because they eat plants. By skipping the middle animals and getting our nutrients directly from the source (plants), we substantially reduce resources, demonstrate our compassion for animals, and tread more softly on this earth."

If that isn't enough to convince you, even the Federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee decided to factor environmental sustainability into its recommendations this year and concluded that a diet lower in animal-based products is both healthy and better for the environment!

If you're not sure about going vegan, even small steps towards a more plant-based diet can help - participate in Meatless Monday and see how easy it is to go meat-free, cut out certain animal products one-by-one, stop buying dairy milk and switch to a plant-based milk (there are so many choices out there now, from soy, almond, oat, hazelnut, cashew, and on and on, that replacing dairy is easy!), stop eating eggs, or just reduce your overall consumption of animal products. You'll see how easy (and delicious) it is to live cruelty-free and you'll fully transition to veganism in no time!

If you care about the planet, the animals, your health, consider making everyday Earth Day by going vegan!

Some helpful links, for newbies as well as seasoned vegans:

The devastation factory farming has on the environment is documented in the important film Cowspiracy, available to view now for only a $1 in honor of Earth Day!

It's US Veg Week! It's never too late to take the pledge and go veg with Compassion Over Killing!

Vegan.com's Guide on How to Go Vegan

PETA's How to Go Vegan Guide

The Vegan Society's How to Go Vegan Page

Get a FREE Veg Starter Guide on TryVeg

There are TONS of other resources available as well, and many vegan recipe, food review, lifestyle blogs and groups out there! You can even find local meet-up groups or vegan Facebook groups that will provide support and inspiration!

Kudos to you that are already plant-based or vegan, and much love to those considering a transition!

Happy Earth Day!

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My Sweet 666th Post: Death Artwork, Death Zines and the Upcoming Death Salon

April 23, 2015, 7:45 am

≫ Next: Watch Now on Netflix: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

≪ Previous: Earth Day is Everyday if You're Vegan

This is my six-hundred sixty-sixth post, which I wanted to recognize it by, what else, talking about death! I've got some cool things to share, like rad death-inspired artwork, an awesome cemetery zine, and the epic Death Salon coming up! Check 'em all out below!

"Bad Vibes" pin set and "Hang in There" print by

Matt Darling

If you don't know the name Matt Darling, you should! He is one of my favorite new artists and I've been drooling over his work over on Instagram. Who can resist anxiety ghosts, scaredy cats, and old hags? Not me! I finally made my first purchases of his work - I bought his delightfully downbeat "Bad Vibes" pin set (spooks, black cats, skeletons skulk around gravestones etched with phrases like "Naw Man", "Can't Win, Don't Try", "Here Lies Who Cares", and my personal favorite "Whatevs 4-evs") as well as a "Hang in There" print. So pleased with everything! You can check out his artwork for sale on badvibes4lyfe.bigcartel.com!

Cemetery Gates zine, plus a mini Graveyard Girl Guide

booklet and Taphophile pin from MissMuffCake!

This week I also received a zine from someone I've followed and admired for a long time, MissMuffCake! She writes her own rad blog, makes a bunch of cool zines, has awesome taste in vegan food, rocks some killer style, has a huge heart and takes care of feral cats, and shares her lovely cemetery adventures on Instagram! The Cemetery Gates zine is filled with cemetery pics, grief stories, memento mori, mourning essays and poems, and even an interview with The Order of the Good Death's member and "Ask a Mortician" host Caitlin Doughty! I even got a mini "Graveyard Girl Guide" booklet (filled with fun tips and tricks on what to bring on a cemetery adventure!) and an adorable "Taphophile" pin along with my zine! You can order your own zine from MissMuffCake's Etsy!

Lastly, I am soooooo looking forward to this Sunday, when I'll be attending a Death Salon at The Getty Villa in Los Angeles! What is a Death Salon? "In the spirit of the eighteenth-century salon – informal coffeehouse gatherings of intellectuals – Death Salon encourages conversations on mortality and mourning and their resonating effects on our culture and history. We hold conferences, public events, and encourage an online community to increase discussion on this taboo subject." It's hosted by The Order of the Good Death and I am so excited to hear all the speakers talk on different death subjects (Cemeteries! Etruscan funerary customs! Roman sarcophagi! Catacomb saints and more!) and to see the exhibits at The Getty Villa. I'll be sure to post a full report after the salon.

Huzzah! I feel like these items were the perfect commemoration of my 666th post...and thank you for reading and sticking around for all six-hundred sixty-six posts...here's to many more to come!

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Watch Now on Netflix: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

April 24, 2015, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Halfway to Halloween + Walpurgisnacht

≪ Previous: My Sweet 666th Post: Death Artwork, Death Zines and the Upcoming Death Salon

I have been DYING to see A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, billed as the "first Iranian vampire Western ever made", and it was one of my most-anticipated horror films of 2015, so I was basically counting the days until it showed up on Netflix streaming! And it finally premiered a few days ago so I rushed home from work to see it...

Here is the synopsis:

In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire.

This black and white film is the feature debut from writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour, and I am always stoked to see a female-helmed film, especially one as unique as this one! The film isn't your typical horror movie, in fact I'm not sure I would even call it horror. It's not for everyone, but I found it stylish and engaging, blending elements from pulp cinema, Westerns, film noir, romance, and horror. It has a languid, moody tone, some killer music, gorgeous visuals, and a misfit love (?) story.

I recommend A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night if you are in the mood for a one-of-a-kind film. You can watch it streaming now on Netflix, and you can also purchase it on Amazon!

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Halfway to Halloween + Walpurgisnacht

April 30, 2015, 10:08 pm

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

≪ Previous: Watch Now on Netflix: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

[image source]

It's April 30, ghouls and boils, which means it is officially HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN!!

Only 6 months to go!

Please excuse me while I squeal...SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Witch by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Tonight also marks Walpurgis Night, or Walpurgisnacht, aka Witches' Night!

From Wikipedia:

"Walpurgis Night is the English translation of Walpurgisnacht, one of the German names for the night of 30 April, so called because it is the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Germany. In German folklore Walpurgisnacht, also called Hexennacht (literally "Witches' Night"), is believed to be the night of a witches' meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in central Germany between the rivers Weser and Elbe."

Stay spooky and better start getting your Halloween plans in order!

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

May 1, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Recipe: Castagnaccio or Tuscan Chestnut Flour Cake

≪ Previous: Halfway to Halloween + Walpurgisnacht

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."

The setting at The Getty Villa was absolutely heavenly!

This is the second Death Salon that has been held in Los Angeles (the first ever Death Salon was held in LA in 2013; sadly, I was not able to attend), and only the fourth Death Salon ever (others were held in London and San Francisco in 2014). Its truly exciting to see how popular these events have grown in such a short amount of time, and really heartening to see so many people interested in discussing death in an academic setting. I love the work that The Order of the Good Death and Death Salon are doing to encourage intelligent conversations on the subject of death and I had been looking forward to attending my first ever Death Salon for months!!

I also must applaud the J. Paul Getty Museum and The Getty Villa for hosting and being so enthusiastic to participate in this event! And who knew their collection housed so many death-centric artworks? They had so much cool stuff, from a rare mummy, to sarcophagi, to funerary vases, to ancient gravestones!

The day was so incredible that I wanted to share with you the killer events, stunning artwork, and engrossing lectures I gleefully attended. Though I didn't attend everything, here is a run-down of what I did enjoy throughout the day:

Caitlin Doughty welcoming us to Death Salon at the Getty Villa!

After a very warm welcome from The Getty Villa's senior curator Jeffrey Spier, things got kicked off! Caitlin Doughty, whose credentials include mortician, author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, founder of The Order of the Good Death and Death Salon, and host of the "Ask a Mortician" video series, welcomed us and reminded attendees that, should there be an emergency, we shouldn't just sit there and accept our own death, but rather head for the emergency exits!

J. Paul Getty Museum's Antiquities Curator David Saunders, kicking

things off with "The Five Stages of Grief: A Getty Villa Guide".

The first lecture was from David Saunders, an antiquities curator of The Getty, who examined the five stages of grief through classical Greek and Roman artifacts housed right there at the J. Paul Getty Museum. It was really neat how he tied the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance - to ancient pieces of art, from a funerary vase depicting women tearing out their own hair to a cup depicting hero Ajax's suicide to the story of Niobe, who turned to stone in her grief as a monument to mourning. I really enjoyed his talk, and after I was able to see Saunders' exhibition of breath-taking funerary vases titled "Dangerous Perfection: Funerary Vases from Southern Italy," on display at The Getty Villa.

Sarah Troop introducing her talk "Death and the Hollywood Ending:

the Legacy of Forest Lawn and the future of Death in LA".

Next, Sarah Troop, writer at Nourishing Death (where she discusses funerary foods and shares recipes for them...I totally want to veganize these recipes!) and social media editor of Death Salon, charmed us with her stories of a childhood spent around film sets in Los Angeles (her parents were in the industry) and how these fake film sets eerily resembled the manufactured, sanitized feel of Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a cemetery that tries to divorce itself and its visitors from death (yes, they did not want people thinking of death when they visited a cemetery...those crazy kids!). Fun fact I learned from Troop: before Disneyland opened, Forest Lawn was the top tourist attraction in Los Angeles! Troop was a wonderfully engaging speaker and gave us a lot of food for thought on how as a culture we try to hide death or dress it up in pretty euphemisms (for example, Forest Lawn has wacky names for different areas of their "memorial park", ahem cemetery, like "Slumberland").

"Consumption, Commemoration, and Catering in Etruscan Funerary

Rituals" lecture by Lisa Pieraccini, professor at the University of

California, Berkeley.

After a short break, we took our seats again for Professor Lisa Pieraccini's talk on "Consumption, Commemoration, and Catering in Etruscan Funerary Rituals". Since I am originally near Florence, Italy, I have long had a fascination with the Etruscans. In the small hill-town where I was born, Fiesole, there are Etruscan ruins and a small museum dedicated to Etruscan artifacts from the area. So, I was very interested in Pieraccini's talk, which had me spellbound! Peiraccini explained that since eating was the antithesis of death, Etruscans honored their dead and acknowledged their own mortality with elaborate funerary feasts. From the archaeological evidence, it appears that both wine and eggs were significant to these funerary feasts and that the feasts themselves took place both inside and outside the tombs. Serving dishes, wine vessels, bowls full of eggs and more evidence of the Etruscan funerary feasts have been found in the few undisturbed burial mounds (called tumuli, or tumulus for a singular mound) that were excavated.

The Mummy of Herakleides, various gravemarkers, urns, and

funerary adornments, and a funerary vase depicting mourners.

Mister Spooky and I decided to take a break after Pieraccini's stimulating talk and wandered The Getty Villa's collection of ancient Etruscan, Greek and Roman artifacts and artwork. Death Salon and The Getty Villa even hosted a "Death Match" game where participants looked for the "deathiest" object at the Villa. We even received a brochure that listed the Getty staff's picks for their favorite death-related objects! I thought this was really cool, and we tried to see all the staff picks listed. My favorite death-y objects were the mummy of Herakleides, who is a rare "Red Shroud" mummy (only nine of these have been identified in the world!), the ancient gravestones and carved cremation chest that adorned one hallway, and the spectacular funerary vases on display. There were also lots of stunning sarcophagi and marble statues that we ooooh'ed and ahhhhh'ed over.

More funerary vases, a statue of a goddess that is reported to be

Aphrodite, but could also be Hygieia, with a small Eros by her side.

After admiring the Villa's priceless artworks, we grabbed some lunch at the museum's Cafe. I was worried about vegan options, so I brought my own back-up burrito, but I ended up getting the Mediterranean platter with tabbouleh, olives, hummus and pita (hold the feta!) for $13. Though it was a little pricey, it was pretty tasty. After lunch we browsed the museum gift shop, where I was tempted to buy all the beautiful things! I opted instead for a "Death Positive" tee and "Death Salon" tote bag from the merch table (pssssst...you can buy these too so we can be death positive twinsies - check out Death Salon's online store!).

Marie Svoboda exploring "Ancient Faces: Funerary Practices

in Roman Egypt".

We missed a lecture, a musical performance, and a podcast, but we were okay with that since we got to see all the Villa's galleries and get some rest! After our break we were ready for an afternoon of more lectures. We enjoyed a talk by conservationist Marie Svoboda on "Ancient Faces: Funerary Practices in Roman Egypt." She introduced us to Herakleides, the mummy we had just visited in the Villa, and talked about his distinctive portrait and the interesting materials used in the preparation of the mummy. These types of mummies are extremely rare (I had never heard of them before!) and as I mentioned earlier, only nine have been discovered. Next, museum educator Eric Bruehl discussed ancient heroes in funerary art and why so many sarcophagi and tombs are adorned with stories of flawed heroes in his lecture "Nobody's Perfect! Ancient Heroes in Funerary Art".

Paul Koudounaris shows off some bejeweled saints in his talk of
"Catacomb Saints".

A man whose photographs and books I've admired for a while spoke next, and was one of my favorite speakers of the day! Paul Koudounaris is a photographer and author of books like Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures and Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs, The Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses, and his latest, Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us. He introduced us to his friends, the catacomb saints, who were draped in extravagant jewels, gold, and finery and put on display in small European churches back during the counter-Reformation. He told us how Catholic churches plundered their catacombs for the choicest skeletons, renamed them as saints, bedecked them in riches, all in order to re-invigorate the faith. The talk was so interesting, especially since not many of these jeweled saints are still in existence. I hope to one day visit a small village in Austria or Germany and see some of these decadently-attired skeletons!

Megan Rosenbloom, director and founder of Death Salon,
introducing Caitlin Doughty and Dr. Judy Melinek for the
"Ask a Mortician/Medical Examiner" session!

The closing talk was a question and answer session with Caitlin Doughty and Dr. Judy Melinek, medical examiner and author of Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner. Questions were gathered from attendees throughout the day and it was a delightfully fun end to a fascinating day. Doughty was her exuberant, entertaining self, and Dr. Melinek was so engaging as well! She told us how she can't watch CSI type shows since they are so inaccurate when it comes to forensic investigations (note - don't wear heels on your first day as medical examiner), and the worst dead body she has seen (a man steamed alive after falling down into a steam tunnel). Both Dr. Melinek and Doughty described what they want done to their bodies after death - Doughty wants her body left for wild animals to tear apart and Dr. Melinek would like her flesh eaten by dermestid beetles and her skeleton put on display in a medical hospital. I loved this informal talk and can't wait to read Dr. Melinek's book. I've already enjoyed Doughty's, and HIGHLY recommend it! Fun fact(s) - it was announced just this week that a TV show based on Doughty's book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is in development AND that Doughty inked deals to pen two more books! Go death!

Enjoying some wine and unwinding overlooking the outdoor theatre

at The Getty Villa. Thanks for the perfect day, Death Salon!

When the talks wrapped up, there was a reception for all Death Salon attendees. They had an open bar with wine and beer, plus a buffet that I didn't pay much attention to once I saw the mounds of eggs and the line (curiously, there was no line for the booze...where are your priorities, deathlings?!). Nevertheless, it was a mellow way to unwind after all the stimulation of the day, plus, almost all the presenters were there and were very approachable! I, being criminally shy, didn't stay long or approach any of the day's speakers, but it's nice to know I could have, if I had mustered up the courage.

The Death Salon at The Getty Villa was an immense success and I had such a lovely time. I really hope they hold it in LA again, or make it an annual event in LA! I wish I could go to symposiums like this every weekend.

The next Death Salon will be held in Philadelphia at the Mütter Museum in October, so if you are near, GO! It's an incredible, unforgettable experience, plus it'll be held at one of of my top dream destinations, the Mütter!

For more photos from the LA Death Salon 2015, check out The Getty's Flickr, and for a great snapshot of the day, check out The Getty's Storify of the event!

You can listen to all of the lectures on The Getty's Soundcloud:

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Recipe: Castagnaccio or Tuscan Chestnut Flour Cake

May 4, 2015, 7:30 am

≫ Next: What I Ate - April/May 2015

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

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.

Some castagnaccio ingredients - pine nuts, chestnut flour, olive oil and golden raisins

Castagnaccio is a simple (and accidentally vegan) cake made from chestnut flour and just a few other ingredients. This cake was a staple of the Tuscan "cucina povera" or peasant kitchen, as the ingredients were easy for poorer people to forage in the region - pine nuts and chestnuts gathered in the forest, grapes that were dried into raisins, rosemary, and olive oil. However, like many peasant dishes, castagnaccio can still be found in Tuscany to this day.

Since chestnuts are gathered in the fall (Tuscany still has chestnut festivals honoring the harvest), castagnaccio is most commonly consumed in late autumn or winter, when the chestnut flour is at its freshest. To tell if it is fresh, take a little taste of the flour - it should taste slightly sweet, If it is bitter at all, the flour may have gone bad (chestnut flour doesn't keep too long). I get mine from Amazon, and have had excellent results with Hoosier Hill Farm's Chestnut Flour.

The chestnut flour lends the cake a very distinct, nutty-yet-sweet flavor and a thick texture, which may take some getting used to. When I first tried it I couldn't even tell if I liked it or not, but after a bit (like my second helping), I was hooked! Plus, it is really, ridiculously easy to make! You have to kind of play around with the ratios, as the measurements below don't matter so much - what you want to achieve is the correct consistency of the batter, which should be around the watery, but still solid, consistency of thin pancake batter.

Fresh castagnaccio right out of the oven (plain, without rosemary)!

Castagnaccio or Tuscan Chestnut Flour Cake

Ingredients:

2 - 3 cups chestnut flour
2 - 3 cups water
2 tablespoons of olive oil (plus a little more to oil your pan with)
1/3 cup jumbo golden raisins (sultanas), chopped small
1/4 cup pine nuts
Pinch of salt
The leaves from a few sprigs of rosemary (note: I've made it without rosemary and it is just as delicious!)

Note: Many traditional recipes also include walnuts, so throw in a handful if you want. I've omitted them here because my dad never used them, so I never did either.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with some olive oil and set aside.

1. Combine water and chestnut flour; 2. Mix until thin consistency is reached;

3. Add pine nuts, raisins, olive oil and salt; 4. Pour into pan.

Sift the chestnut flour into a large bowl. Slowly add the water, about a cup at a time, and mix well. Start with two cups of water and check the consistency. If it's still too thick, keep adding water (a half a cup a time) until the batter reaches a relatively thin consistency (like pancake batter). I usually find that 2 1/2 cups of water is the perfect amount. If you end up with batter that is too watery, add a bit more chestnut flour.

Next, add the olive oil, raisins, pine nuts, and salt. Mix well.

Pour into the greased baking pan, ensuring that the batter is less than half an inch thick (about 1 cm).

Batter should be poured so it is less than 1/2 inch, about 1 cm, deep

Top with the rosemary leaves (don't mix in, they should just sit on top). Sometimes I sprinkle more pine nuts on top, too!

Pop it in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes to an hour - the castagnaccio will be done when cracks appear in the surface (the more cracks the better!).

Take out from oven and let cool, then slice and enjoy!

Half and half castagnaccio - half with rosemary topping, half without, both delicious!

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What I Ate - April/May 2015

May 11, 2015, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Watch Now on Netflix: Animal (2014)

≪ Previous: Recipe: Castagnaccio or Tuscan Chestnut Flour Cake

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.

Enjoyed these Field Roast Frankenfurters on my patio, topped with lots of ketchup, mustard and saurerkraut, paired with some tangy vegan ranch chips from Beanfields!

I've heard so many good things about these Lenny and Larry Complete Cookies, so I had to pick one up when I found them at Fresh and Easy! Half of the cookie made an excellent breakfast, especially when paired with the blackest of black coffees.

Basically my favorite meal - pizza and beer! I made some pizza with Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Shreds and my go-to toppings, pineapple, olives, and jalapenos. I also FINALLY found some Einstok beer...I remember it as being one of the stand-out beers I tried at Vegan Beer Fest last year, so I was ecstatic to find it (I found it at Fresh and Easy, but I also recently saw it at Whole Foods).

Mister Spooky and I had brunch at Seabirds Kitchen in Costa Mesa a few weekends ago - we didn't get anything off their brunch menu, but got a sampling of their small plates and drinks (Birdy Mary for me and a Mission Dark Seas beer for him). We had to try their new empanadas (pictured in the center), which are "mushroom, grilled onions, kale, and provolone cheese wrapped in flaky dough pockets, served with cilantro chutney". We also got our old favorites, the grilled cheese crisp ("sourdough grilled cheese melt with sharp cashew 'gruyere' spread, basil avocado sauce and a kennebec potato chip crust") and purple taquitos ("purple potatoes, chipotle sour cream, fermented curtido, almond feta, cilantro")!

The bahn mi salad at Veggie Grill is one of my new favorites from their spring menu - I even like it better than their bahn mi sandwich (and I loooove that sandwich an awful lot!)! Of course I had to get their dreamy carrot cake, too!

New product alert from Trader Joe's! They JUST started carrying these tasty pretzel bagels! AND they are vegan!! I love 'em smeared with some vegan cream cheese, but they also make delightful sandwich buns!

These Beyond Meat Swedish meatballs had been sitting in my freezer for a while (I found them randomly at Whole Foods, though I haven't seen them since), but they made wonderful comfort food when paired with mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts and gravy!

This past weekend Whole Foods' had a sale on their vegan sushi (made by local sushi house Kikka Sushi), so I had to scoop up two rolls - the Orchid Roll is on the left, and the Golden Gate Roll is on the right. I didn't care much for the pink sauce on the Orchid Roll (made with fruit juices), but I loved the forbidden rice and veggies they used!

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Watch Now on Netflix: Animal (2014)

May 23, 2015, 6:22 pm

≫ Next: Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows Coming this Fall

≪ Previous: What I Ate - April/May 2015

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!

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Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows Coming this Fall

May 26, 2015, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Food Review: Bit Baking Company Cookies

≪ Previous: Watch Now on Netflix: Animal (2014)

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?

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Food Review: Bit Baking Company Cookies

June 1, 2015, 8:30 am

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Bit Baking Company Cookies!

Is there anything better than a perfect vegan cookie? I think not! So when Bit Baking Company contacted me to review their vegan and gluten-free cookies, I couldn't say no! A delightful package arrived a few days later full to the brim with four different flavors from this Michigan-based company. Each of the cookies were wrapped individually and a good size, about the size of my palm.

Bit Baking Company Cookies I received - Cocoa Chocolate Chunk,

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin!

The four flavors I received were Chocolate Chip, Cocoa Chocolate Chunk, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, and Oatmeal Raisin. Since their website didn't have a full ingredient list at the time of this post, I took photos of the ingredients of the cookies I received (note: these ingredients may change, so always check with Bit Baking Company directly if you have any questions about their ingredients).

Bit's Chocolate Chip Cookie and ingredients.

The first cookie I tried was the Chocolate Chip. It was pillowy soft and thick, and packed full of chocolate chips. I also thought it had a wonderful texture and had the right amount of crumble while still being moist.

Bit's Cocoa Chocolate Chunk and ingredients. I couldn't wait to

dig into this one so I forgot to take a pic before I tore into it, oops!

The Cocoa Chocolate Chunk had an incredible fudge-like consistency and taste and was peppered with chunks of chocolate. It was soooo chocolately, moist, and dusted with just the right amount of sugar crystals, It tasted like a rich, decadent treat!

Bit's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk and ingredients, plus

nutrition facts.

I love all things peanut butter, so I was excited for the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk! It was moist and the chocolate chunks gave it a toothsome texture. The peanut butter flavor was mild, and in my opinion could have been a bit more peanut buttery, but overall it was a yummy cookie!

My favorite Bit cookie, the Oatmeal Raisin, plus ingredients.

The Oatmeal Raisin cookie was my favorite of them all. Upon first bite it reminded me of coming home after school and having some wholesome oatmeal raisin cookies made by my mom. And like a warm hug from Mom, it was warming and comforting. Usually, Oatmeal Raisin is my last pick for cookies, but this one made by Bit Baking Company totally made me reconsider my cookie faves! If they were all as delectable as Bit Baking Company's then oatmeal raisin would be my go-to cookie for sure!

See how big these are? Nothing itty-bitty about them!

Bit Baking Company cookies are made in Michigan and available at select specialty grocery stores and restaurants there (check their Facebook page for more info on who carries them) and can also be ordered online through their website! They have a variety of different cookie flavors on their site besides the ones I've mentioned above. I wholeheartedly recommend these delicious treats, and it's fitting that the name "Bit" actually stands for "Believe in This", because I certainly believe in the goodness of these cookies!

Visit Bit Baking Company's website!

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Watch Now on Netflix: Nightcrawler

June 12, 2015, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: Restaurant Review: Timeless Coffee Roasters in Oakland, CA

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One of 2014's underrated gems was Nightcrawler, a dark and gritty neo-noir film starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a young hustler who gets sucked into the sordid but lucrative business of trolling the streets of Los Angeles to film fires, car crashes - and murder. It's not precisely horror, but its wickedly dark tone certainly caught my attention - and it is now available on Netflix streaming!

Here is the official synopsis:

Los Angeles denizen Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) survives by scavenging and petty theft. He stumbles into a new career as a cameraman and -- armed with a camcorder and police scanner -- begins nocturnal forays across the city in search of shocking and grisly crimes. When he catches the eye of a shopworn news director (Rene Russo) who welcomes the chance to raise her station's ratings, Louis goes to increasingly greater lengths to catch the "money shot."

The film was thrilling, especially set against the reflection of neon and flashing red and blue lights in LA's blood-soaked streets, Crime photography has always fascinated me, and the dark side of it the movie presented really drew me in. I also really dug the weird-o character Gyllenhaal played (he did such a phenomenal job in this role), who I actually started to sympathize with as the film went on, despite how he far he spiraled. And the quirky bits of dark humor his character injected into the film really made me like him even more! The social commentary aspect of the movie was also timely, especially when most people have access to film/photograph almost anything 24/7, not to mention our culture having an intense fascination with disasters and accidents that may lead to death.

I highly recommend you check out Nightcrawler, streaming on Netflix now, but also available on other places as well as on Amazon!

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Restaurant Review: Timeless Coffee Roasters in Oakland, CA

July 6, 2015, 9:00 am

≫ Next: What I Ate: Independence Day Edition

≪ Previous: Watch Now on Netflix: Nightcrawler

Timeless Coffee

On our road trip up to NorCal for vacation, we drove through the night so we could arrive at Timeless Coffee Roasters in Oakland, California for breakfast! It was my first time visiting Timeless, and even after a long night of driving, I was soooooo excited to finally try out this all-vegan cafe that serves up breakfast, baked goodies, and, of course, coffee!

Loved the interior of Timeless!

We arrived around 9am, and the place was packed, with a long line at the counter. That only gave us more time to ogle the pastries behind the counter (such cakes! such pastries! so many other goodies!) and admire the cute decor. Gah, if I lived in Oakland I would be here every day!

Tempting treats in the dessert case!

Vegan Quiche! Vegan Frittata! OMG!

Vegan Cheddar Bacon Scones and Peach and Almond Scones!

We finally got to the front of the line and ordered a vegan quiche, two cheddar bacon scones, a strawberry cheesecake cup, their version of the Twinkie, and some iced coffee. I'm surprised I restrained myself so much when I wanted to get everything they had! However, we did still have a lot of driving to do, so I limited myself a bit.

Vegan quiche, cheddar bacon scones, and Twinkie from Timeless!

Strawberry Cheesecake Cup! Half-eaten because it was so good

and I couldn't snap a pic in time!

We sat outside for a while and enjoyed the iced coffee, cheddar bacon scones, and the strawberry cheesecake cup! The scones were yummy, but the cheesecake cup was definitely the highlight! It was so creamy and flavorful...Mister Spooky was a huge fan and couldn't stop raving about these the whole trip - we wished they would have survive the rest of the trip so we could buy a bunch to take with us!

Close-up of a cheddar bacon scone...paired so well with that iced

coffee.

I saved the quiche and Twinkie for later, but these were also excellent! I had the quiche the next morning for breakfast and it was incredible!! I just reheated it in the microwave for a few minutes, and reveled in its flaky crust and tasty filling! Mister Spooky was also a big fan of this one as well. The Twinkie I enjoyed another night after dinner - the cake as so moist and the creamy filling was light and airy! It was wayyyy better than what I remember Hostess Twinkies tasting like!

The quiche traveled really well and was the perfect breakfast

the next day!

Timeless Coffee Roasters makes me want to move to Oakland just so I can enjoy their spectacular treats on a regular basis! Bonus is that they are super close to Mountain View Cemetery, so you can get some coffee and treats, then head up the hill and wander around the massive cemetery! We stopped off briefly at the cemetery, but sadly weren't able to stay long. Definitely want to explore it more next time I stop off at Timeless!

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