Category: Uncategorized

books and books

Posted by miss alix – 8 Jul ’11

blackbird house

There’s nothing like getting totally lost in a book. I have a little bit of a book problem, in which I want to compulsively buy books. I refrain mostly, but it’s my one shopping weakness. Some people like shoes or dvds. I like books.

It’s been less of a problem since I got my kindle, since I will only purchase a new book when I finish the one I’m currently reading. I take the darn thing with me everywhere. Best part, no more filling up space on my bookshelves, which are stacked double deep.

Except for cookbooks. I still have that problem.

I just finished Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman. I love her. I want to live in her books. So magical and tragic and wonderful. I need to pick the next one of hers to read.

prometheus rising

I also bought Prometheus Rising as I lost my original copy. It’s a little wacky, but I can totally get behind some of the concepts. I’m finally making Shawn read it.

So what books are you loving right now? I’m always looking for recommendations.

rock n roll bride

Posted by miss alix – 30 Jun ’11

Hey folks, just wanted to pop in and share my excitement that our wedding is featured on Rock N Roll Bride today!

reading material

Posted by miss alix – 21 Jun ’11

I’m always looking out for new blogs to read (while simultaneously culling my somewhat out of control google reader). I am drawn to blogs that have a combination of lovely imagery and an intimate demeanor. I like to read about people’s personal journeys, but I can’t help loving some nice photography to go along with it.

These are some recent finds that I’m just getting into.

A Day With Kate

This blog about a girl in Pasadena (hi neighbor!) wins my heart as she writes about her life and adventures. It doesn’t hurt that she loves coffee and fresh vegetables.


I love her casual and yet beautifully composed photos. She also has a shop with amazing hand-painted cards, tags and more.

The Velvet Bird

I must admit I’m highly swayed by anything in the woods but Vanessa has much more going on than that. Besides a beautifully selected vintage store, she’s also started making her own line of dresses which are just stunning.

Her photos are just adorable and she has goats. Seriously, goats! What more could you want from a blog?

See Creatures

Initially I was drawn into Catherine’s blog by the fantastic ethereal photos, but stayed to see her wonderful sense of style. Not to mention adorable dog pictures.


Generally speaking, I’m not much of a fashion blog type, and while See Creatures definitely has that feeling, it has such a simplicity to it I’m totally into it.

What are your favorite blogs right now?

under construction

Posted by miss alix – 3 May ’11

If you’re poking around the blog, you’ve probably noticed things have gone awry. I’m working on getting it all in order, but it’s going to take a hot second. Hopefully this adorable fox will distract you while I clean up.

Shout outs

Posted by miss alix – 14 Apr ’11

In light of the ridiculous news that VegNews is using stock photos of meat and trying to pass them off as vegan, I think today would be a lovely day to point you all in the direction of some other vegan blogs, sites and photographers.

I have a lot to say about what went down with VegNews but I think it’s pretty much been covered, so I’ll be brief. Using stock photos for completed recipes is just wrong in itself, let alone using images of non-vegan food. For that matter, I don’t know why anyone would want to read a magazine that uses stock photography on the cover under any circumstances. It just shows that the magazine doesn’t care about what they are publishing. I don’t know why they would then expect us to care enough to visit their site or buy a subscription. A magazine is not just about text, it’s a complete product.

But let’s move on…there are so many other vegan resources for you to check out besides this magazine, so here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order).

Quarry Girl – Have to give a major shout out to the blog that broke the news about this whole scandal. Go here for restaurant reviews and sass.

Post Punk Kitchen – The godmother of vegan recipe blogs brought to you by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  Innovative takes on the classics and inspiring new recipes all rolled into one.

Vegansauraus – Vegan news and fun around the internet. Great writing and totally amusing.

Your Vegan Mom – Reliably good recipes that are uncomplicated and mouthwatering from Trina, accompanied by witty storytelling.

C’est la Vegan – Wonderful recipes especially for desserts and appetizers, with great ideas for entertaining guests.

Little Vegan Planet – I like this blog so much I married the guy. Seriously though, fun stuff and amazing photos.

These are just my top few of today. It’s always changing. Here’s a whole list of awesomeness.

Since the controversy really comes down to photos, I thought I’d share some talented vegan photographers as well.  VEGNEWS, MAYBE YOU SHOULD CONTACT THESE GUYS:

Nicole from Bonus Round

Sara from Simply Stardust

Ryan of Suckatash Productions

Nora from Pride and Vegudice

Shawn of course (yes I’m listing him again, I’m totally allowed to do that).

Not to mention, when I asked for a vegan photographer on twitter, I had tons of responses, ranging from newbies willing to take photos for free to established working photographers.

I’m working on compiling a list for the future so if you’re a photographer that would like to be included, or have someone to add, please let me know.

Kindle cover

Posted by miss alix – 23 Sep ’10

I am not a gadget girl. I’m just not. I am a book girl. When I first heard about the Kindle I thought it was ridiculous. Why would anyone want to read a book on a screen? Gosh. Then I finally saw one, and I fell in electronic love. I feel pretty dorky about it, but I became obsessed. I had to get one. It’s probably the best purchase I’ve made since getting a stand mixer. It helps that I’m reading a book I enjoy.

It has a lot of perks. Mostly to do with the fact that you don’t have to hold a book open. You can eat a sandwich and read a book, no problem. Yeah I’m that person. Not to mention the screen really does look like paper so that’s awesome. Also, I was pleased to find out that you can get amazon credits when you cash in your coins at a coinstar machine and they don’t deduct the 10%. Loose change has now become my book fund.

Anyway, enough of me gushing (see, I told you I’m obsessed). I really needed a case for my kindle, so I don’t destroy it when I throw it in my purse…also known as the pit of despair.

kindle pouch 003

In a flash I sewed up a simple bag made out of scrap fabric. I went with a medium weight fabric, instead of taking the time to do a lining. Yes a lining would be nicer, but honestly I was feeling pretty lazy. The end product did it’s job but was just plain boring.

I’ve been working on a lot of embroidery lately and thought a few stitches would make the whole thing a lot cuter. I used a pattern from sublime stitching, even though it was just a simple spool of thread. Sometimes it’s nice to use someone else’s creative power.

kindle pouch 001

It’s perfect to protect my kindle from scratches. None of theses designer covers for $85 a pop. Also, why are the majority of the covers made from leather? Gross. This case was free, and took me less than an hour to make including all the embroidery. Ok, back to reading.

Spork Foods

Posted by miss alix – 2 Sep ’10

A few weeks ago I went to one of the vegan cooking classes at Spork Foods. For father’s day I gave my dad a choice of any class and he picked the Mediterranean  menu. Of course, on the day, I forgot to bring a camera.

I was so enamored with everything that was made, I had to make some of it for Shawn a few days later. I chose the gazpacho, as it was a perfect cool treat for summer. Filled with veggies and rich flavors, I’ve never had a gazpacho so good.

When I received the upcoming class schedule from the Sporkies a day or so ago, I thought I should post something because all the classes look so freaking good. There’s a Italian gluten free class with Cashew Cream Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach and Pesto Crusted Tempeh Fillets. There’s a Southern Comfort food class with Fried Green Tomatoes and Sweet Potato Biscuits and Gravy. Not to mention a Local Seasonal Fall class with Spiced beer-soaked figs stuffed with a creamy ricotta and Seitan Wellington with a Creamy Spinach Sauce. Does that not sound amazing?

I seriously want to go to all these classes. The Spork Food classes are so much fun. You really learn so many little tips and details about nutrition. The Spork sisters make me want to be a better person. I’m not kidding. Plus the food is all so fresh and inspiring, and of course you get to eat it in the end. Their classes are also great for bringing your friends and family to show them how great vegan cooking can be. Trust me, they will be impressed. Or if you need some vegan cooking tips yourself, these classes are super helpful.

Anyway, go check them out. I highly recommend their classes, and their new space is West Hollywood is great.

I should also add, they didn’t ask me to post this, nor am I getting anything from it, I just genuinely think they’re great and want to support an awesome vegan business.

Ten Questions

Posted by miss alix – 30 Jul ’10

Hello my dears! I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Brainstorming in fact, which in it’s own way has stopped me from actually writing.

I have some questions for you.

Here’s the story. I’ve had this blog for quite some time now. And I love it. I hope you like it too. When it started, it was an exercise entirely just for myself. Since then it’s grown into much more, something that I’m very proud of. It’s so terribly exciting for me that people actually read it. I’ve met and talked to so many awesome people from all over.

Ultimately I’m trying to keep making Cute & Delicious more awesome.

Here’s where you come in. I want to know what you think.

I just have a couple questions, and if you wouldn’t mind answering, I would be very grateful. You can let me know your thoughts in the comments or email me at veganbakesale at gmail dot com. 

Ok, here are the questions. If you don’t feel like answering them, but would like to give me feedback anyway I would love that too! And yeah I’m a dork so I made them multiple choice.

1.  Do you prefer reading about:

a.  vegan food

b. crafts

c. both

d. other stuff (like what?)

2. What would you like to see more of?

a. recipes

b. tutorials

c. finished projects/dishes

d. photos

e. lifestyle stuff

f. something else (what?)

3. Would you rather see:

a. shorter posts, more frequently

b. big long juicy posts, less often

4. Ok, what do you think about photos?

a. they’re the most important part

b. like a balance of photos and writing/recipes/tutorials

c. don’t really care about the photos, iphone pictures would be fine

5. How personal do you think cute & delicious is?

a. I feel like I know you from reading it

b. I feel like it’s pretty superficial

c. I don’t really think about it

d. I’m not even really sure who writes this blog

6. Do you think it should be more personal?

a. I want to know more everyday life stuff

b. please just keep it to the food and crafts

c. it’s fine how it is now

7. Ideally how many posts a week do you like to read from a blog?

a. once a week is good, i’m a busy person

b. a few times a week please

c. every day. i need entertainment

d. as many times as possible. i spend a lot of time on the computer

e. i don’t care as long as the posts are good

8. Do you follow me on twitter?

9. How do you read this blog?

a. in a reader/rss feed

b. i just visit from time to time

c. i click when you post something on twitter

d. i’ve never been here before!

e. i’ve come here from another blog

10. Is there anything else you would like to tell me? Do it!


Ok, for those of you who think this is uber boring, I apologize! There will be more posts coming this weekend, I promise.

Any one of you who were kind enough to help me out, I can’t tell you how thankful I am. I’m thankful that you’re just here anyway.

p.s. make sure you use a legit email address if you want something back

xo

Miss Alix

Please mind the mess

Posted by miss alix – 17 Jun ’10

So I decided that Cute & Delicious was in need of some sprucing up. Unfortunately I picked a rather bad time as I am not going to have access to a computer for a bit. I hope you can bear with the mess for a little while. Hopefully soon I’ll have everything up and in order again.

Sick Day

Posted by miss alix – 5 Dec ’08

We make a lot of pizza here. Generally speaking, we buy dough from Trader Joe’s as it’s delicious and easy to work with. While Shawn is a veteran pizza maker, I’ve never made dough myself. A new test for my mixer and it’s dough hook!

Making the dough was super easy even though I was impatient to let it rise. It ended up being just a touch larger than our pizza stone so I had a little extra to play with. Just enough for one breadstick. I seasoned it with basil, nutritional yeast and garlic powder and put it in with the pizza.

The pizza turned out a touch crispier than the usual pizzas. It was so easy and relatively quick I definitely foresee more homemade crusts in the future.

I also finished the never ending hat project today. A few months ago I got some great organic cotton yarn to make a hat for Shawn. See, he only wears orange hats. I set out to make a hat with a simple cable stitch. It turned out to be too big. So I tried to make a simpler double knit hat that would be more like one he already had. Without a pattern though, this was a much more difficult task than I anticipated. The version you see above is the fifth incarnation of the hat. Finally it turned out right!

Busy bee!

Posted by miss alix – 4 Sep ’08

I have been so busy lately I haven’t had a chance to post anything, but not for lack of baking. Recent treats include vanilla yogurt pound cake, chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese filling and monster chocolate chip cookies (my personal favorite of the group, but the pound cake was great too).

I wanted to thank everyone for voting for my cupcakes in the iron cupcake contest. I didn’t win but I got a good number of votes so I’m happy. I got a lot of really great feedback from everyone, which was really inspiring. Next month’s challenge ingredient is basil, so we’ll see what I can do with that.

Been working on big projects lately, too big for this blog even, but good things are in the works. More to come!