VeganMOFO: Happy Halloween?

Happy Halloween? The hurricane definitely put a damper on Halloween this year, but we're trying to make the best of it. Nik and I carved our pumpkins before the storm and I think they look pretty good, yeah? It's crazy that another year of VeganMOFO is over and that it is freaking NOVEMBER tomorrow. Crazy-pants! Hope you have a good one!

xo,

Michelle

VeganMOFO: Post-Hurricane Sandy

East River is relatively back to normal today.

Hello! Checking in to say I'm okay. We were with the lucky few that didn't lose power and didn't suffer any damage to our property or to ourselves. We lost internet/cable, but that was no big deal in the grand scheme of things. It got a bit scary last night in the peak of the storm, with the wind and all the sirens and the smell of fire in the air. So many folks without power or shelter today. It was pretty heartbreaking to read the news last night and this morning... 

Nik and I took a walk around our neighborhood this afternoon, to survey the damage, and just to get out of the house for a bit. Our area did okay during the storm, save for some fallen trees and some construction zone flooding and lots of debris.  Some photos on our walk:

Tree in the local McCarren Park

See those big flood lights standing up? Now the one laying down...

Construction site in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

This water is not supposed to be here...Construction zone right by the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Vinnie's was open today, so I had a vegan eggplant parm slice.

VeganMOFO: Hurricane Sandy Muffins

Hello!  We're starting off this week with a good old-fashioned hurricane! Just kidding, there is nothing good about this. Hurricane Sandy is barreling towards the East Coast at this very moment, and NYC is shut down completely. Seriously, all the subways and busses, the New York Stock Exchange, Grand Central Station, airports, local businesses, everything. They're even shutting down the Holland and Battery tunnels this afternoon. President Obama declared a state of emergency. There was a mandatory evacuation of all Zone A residents, by the waterfronts, last night. I'm in Zone B, and Zone C technically starts across the street, so I think I'll be okay. I'm not sure I have ever seen the city this serious about a storm, and I have to admit it is making me a bit nervous. It's SUPER windy outside and we've seen a little rain. Parts of the city have already started to flood and Sandy hasn't even touched down yet. The big surge is supposed to happen this evening, during high tide (and it's a full moon too!) where a 6-11ft surge of water is expected. So yeah...nervous!

I weather-stress-baked last night and made some apple spice muffins and a loaf of Green Monster bread. Nik and I are just trying to keep busy working today and anxiously looking out the window. Hopefully we don't lose power... Stay safe East Coast friends!

VeganMOFO: Pub Cheddar with Chives

More kitchen experiments with Artisan Vegan Cheese! This book is so fun, seriously. I have been eyeing the Pub Cheddar with Chives for awhile, and finally took the plunge. For some reason, I had it in my head that this would be like a crock cheese (you know, like they used to make you sell in band, back in grade school, to raise money for new uniforms and whatnot? Did you have to do that too? They gave you a catalog of super-processed cheese logs, ew!)  Anyways, this was not a spreadable crock cheese that was bright orange, but instead was a very sliceable and tangy cheese dotted with bites of yummy chives.  This was SO good paired with pears or apples. Also pretty excellent cubed up and mixed into a salad. I was pretty into it.

VeganMOFO: Coconut French Toast Tester

Happy Monday! Lots to do this week, so I'm starting it off on a good note with another tester recipe for Isa's new book. Coconut French Toast for the win! I love french toast so hard, but I'm always way too lazy to make it. Something about dipping stuff in batter before noon usually turns me off. Turns out, this was a super-easy recipe, and I love me some coconut, so it was a definite winner. No recipe this time, but it's worth the wait until the book comes out! 

xoxo,

Michelle

VeganMOFO: Chai Spice Snickerdoodles!

Hooray for Friday! It's been a long week and I'm looking forward to a sunny Autumn weekend.  These Chai Spice Snickerdoodles are soo good. They are a tester recipe for Isa's new book coming out, and I love them so much that I have made them twice already. Nom nom nom.

Snickerdoodles might be my favorite cookie. I have very fond memories of my Mom making them for us as a kid. It's essential to get that perfect balance between a soft, chewy middle and crispy, crunchy exterior and edge. So good!

Recipe is up on her blog, so you can make them too!

2013 Calendar Time!

It's Calendar time! Three new calendars this year, one with all cats, one with all dogs, and one of my "regular" calendars that I make every year. Two sizes too. My main one is the usual 8"x10" and the Cat and Dog ones are smaller at 5"x8.5".  Super-psyched on these! Also, I feel like I have been working on these forevvvverrrrr, which I kinda have, because, um, 36 new illustrations! I'm really happy to be able to finally release them into the wild!  Calendars can be found in the shop here and allllll the new prints can be found here.

Kitties!:

And the pups!

VeganMOFO: Homemade Hot Sauce

Nik and I have been wanting to make our own hot sauce for awhile now, and last time we were at the farmer's market, we grabbed one of those big baskets of mixed hot peppers to finally get on it. You can see the assortment of peppers that I had, so this recipe definitely isn't scientific. That is what I like about making homemade condiments though, you can make any sort of adjustments that you want and it will surely still turn out. This turned out a tad too hot for me, but was perfect when I pureed in an apple into half of the batch (Nik isn't a spice-wuss like me, so I kept a super-hot half-batch for him.) My favorite way to eat this so far, is to mix a little in with some Veganaise on a sammich. Mmm...

Spicy Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Peppers

25 Odd hot peppers

6 cloves garlic

1/2 medium red onion

1-2 tsp of salt

1 cup distilled vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

1 apple (optional)

Directions: Chop and puree! For a sweeter sauce, puree 1 apple with the rest of the ingredients.