Kindle cover
I am not a gadget girl. I’m just not. I am a book girl. When I first heard about the Kindle
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.
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.
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.
Anticipation
There are so many things coming up so quickly I can hardly believe it. Just 12 days till the first screening of Brainwashed Love. I’m terrified and excited. Only a few people have seen the film at this point so it will be crazy to show it to all the people who worked on it and supported us along the way. I hope people like it as much as we do.
That also means that it’s only 12 days till October. The best month ever. I’m looking forward to watching tons of horror movies and indulging in lots of treat making. Halloween movie marathon part 3 anyone? Not to mention the annual creation fest that is making a costume, which is always a production in itself.
Also in five short, busy months, Shawn and I will be getting married. Holy crap. Even though there is a lot to plan and put together, I’m really excited. For one thing it’s giving me a good excuse to be extra crafty (as if I need an excuse). I’m making a lot of things already as gifts and decorations. I can’t wait to share all the details, but for the moment they’ll have to stay under wraps.
My biggest dilemma at the moment is what dress to wear. Let me tell you, trying to figure out what to wear for our wedding and what I’m going to be for Halloween is sort of turning my brain into a pretzel. Or maybe a tree. Hence these crazy late night photos. I got the above dress from my grandmother and still have yet to decide whether I want to use it as the dress. It has a lot of elements that I really like but I don’t know if I can alter it into exactly what I want.
I’ve been looking into finding a vintage dress but it’s difficult to find something that has all the uniqueness of vintage dress but also fits me; stylistically and physically. For example, I love this dress below but there’s no way I could fit into it’s tiny waist.
For the most part I really despise the majority of modern dresses out there. If I never see another strapless dress again, it will be too soon. I can’t believe how alike wedding dresses all are, and how insanely expensive they are on top of it. Although, I have to admit, I am kind of in love with the ruffles on this one from J Crew.
And of course, part of me wants to make my own dress. Perhaps that is the masochistic part of myself. Hopefully I’ll have things figured out sooner than later as a wedding dress is not exactly something you want to leave till the last moment.
Bagels!
I am obsessed with bagels. I mean generally speaking I’m obsessed with any bread related food item. But this year I’m in love with bagels.
The thing with bagels though is they aren’t as easy to come by as one might think. I mean you can’t just walk into a bagel shop and get a bagel topped with vegan cream cheese. Well, unless you’re in New York. Store bought bagels just won’t do.
This is my second attempt at bagel making. These bagels were made from the recipe in Vegan Brunch. My first round, from another recipe, while tasty, were over-baked and extra crunchy.
This recipe yields a light bagel with a fluffy inside and a crunchy exterior. The vital wheat gluten helps give them a nice touch of elasticity which seemed to help when handling the dough. Overall they were easy to make and easier to eat. I gobbled up at least three.
For breakfast I topped them with some tofutti cream cheese, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, a fat juicy tomato from a friend’s garden, a touch of paprika and a few leaves of basil. Delicious! They also went extra well with hummus.
I’m going to keep experimenting till I make some super fat round bagels; dense and chewy all at once. And perhaps some homemade cream cheese to go along with them. Oh the obsession continues.
Hello September
Today was a beautiful grey day here in Los Angeles. While we didn’t have much of a summer, I’m ecstatic about the arrival of fall. Why? Because fall is the best. The best time to get baking away. And of course Halloween is just around the corner. I can’t contain my excitement.
With Labor day off, I wanted to spend some time in the kitchen. I made the Cauliflower and Mushroom Pot Pie from Veganomicon. This is the perfect recipe for the transition from summer to fall.
This pot pie is full of fresh fragrant vegetables with a good dose of spices. While the pot pie is leaning towards the heartiness of fall, the vegetables still have a hint of summer.
Check out all that cauliflower. This pie is packed with it. It cooks down to a soft and insanely delicious treat. It meshes greatly with the mushroom and other veggies.
The pie is topped with a biscuit like olive crust. The savory crust is salty and crunchy and a nice contrast to the soft veggies; all in all, wonderfully balanced. While this pot pie is fairly large, Shawn and I were able to finish it off in one sitting. It’s that good, and not overly filling.
Ok, now back to that giveaway. I couldn’t have made this pot pie without the help of my Dutch oven. Well I guess I could have but it wouldn’t have been nearly as simple. But let’s not kid around, these guys aren’t cheap. Cookware.com has offered to give a $70 gift card to one lucky reader (which doesn’t quite pay for a dutch oven, but would definitely make one affordable). The great thing is that you can buy anything on their site…or any of their affiliated sites, like AllModern.com or 200 other sites. That’s a lot of options.
All you have to do is comment on this post before midnight on September 13th. If you want another chance to win, follow me on twitter (and make sure to mention it in your comment). I’ll pick a winner at random when the giveaway closes. Good luck!
Update
And we have a winner! Congratulations to Meghan! She’s gonna get to go on a fancy shopping spree. Yay!
Spork Foods
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.
