Milk and Cookies

I heard Santa might be going vegan this year. He's gotta stay healthy too! Thankfully, I've got lots of alternative holiday milks and vegan cookies for him to choose from. Should put me right at the top of that 'Nice' list.

Most of you should be familiar with Silk's Soy Nog. It's been around for awhile. I use this in my eggnog frosting for gingerbread whoopie pies with excellent results. I think that the consistency is perfect; it has that thick, creamy, eggy mouthfeel that you look for in an eggnog (or as close as it can come without any actual cream or eggs). I'm not blown away by the flavor though. I find myself always adding cinnamon or nutmeg, or some holiday cheer to help kick it up a notch. Still, I bet if I left a glass of this with a little nip of bourbon to help keep Santa warm, he wouldn't complain.

This year I discovered Rice Dream's Rice Nog. I'm a big fan of rice milks since I'm always looking to reduce my soy intake. The flavor of this nog was perfect: lots of nutmeg with other spices to round out the taste. As expected, since rice milk is notoriously thin compared to other milks, the consistency was nowhere near your typical egg nog. But I kind of liked that. It was light, and allowed me to drink more than I would normally be able to tolerate with eggnog's usual thick consistency. I'll leave this one out for Mr. Claus in case he needs something lighter and refreshing to wash down that Chocolate Candy Cane whoopie pie I plan on leaving for him.

West Soy makes a Chocolate Peppermint soymilk. I don't keep regular chocolate soymilk in the house anymore, because I drink too much of it. West Soy's beverage combines my two favorite things and is equally dangerous. Creamy, chocolatey, and a hint of peppermint flavor makes this an ideal holiday drink. And you can drink it cold, or warm it up for some hot cocoa action! I think I'll leave a big tall glass with some chocolate chip cookies for the man in red this year.

I heard that VitaSoy also makes a Holly Nog, but I was unable to find it in Philadelphia. Silk also introduced Mint Chocolate soymilk this year, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet. If you've tried either of these drinks, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to whip out my copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and bake up a batch of tasty, cruelty-free cookies for Santa to enjoy.

Merry Christmas!

Memory loss and Blondies

I've been a terrible blogger this month. I completely forgot to bring my camera to the Punk Rock Flea Market, and therefore have no pictures to show you. However, the day went really well. I sold out of almost everything, met some really great people, and had a fun day with Better Butter and the Fanciful Fox. But the best thing about the market? Throughout the day several people came to my table to buy a snack, tried it, and then came back later to buy some more! There were a lot of other bakers there selling goodies, so this meant a lot to me. Thanks to everyone who came by and bought a treat. I really appreciate it, and hope you enjoyed it!

I also went to a cookie review party at the beginning of this month, and forgot my camera. Thankfully other people had that one covered. To see pics from the party, go here.

I brought some of my famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies. Argue if you will about whether or not bars fall into the cookie category, but I live on the edge and brought them anyway. Barry, my fabulous blogger friend over at Foodrulez who hosted the party, posted the recipe last week. I don't normally give out recipes for things I think will be added to my product line, but I guess Christmas time has me feeling the spirit of giving. To get these into your belly, check out the recipe post on Barry's page here.

Punk Rock Flea Market- Holidays 2010

 Oh my. Don't I ever learn my lesson? It's time for the Punk Rock Flea Market again, and I'll be there slinging the goodies as usual. This time, I'm not gonna let it send me over the edge.

Last year's holiday market fell in the middle of a record breaking blizzard that dropped 135 feet of snow on Philly (FACT). The summer edition early this year was smack in the middle of a nasty, gross, 10-shower-a-day heat wave. For this Saturday there's no snow in the forecast and the temps look like they'll be in the 40's. It should be the perfect day to come out and finish up your holiday shopping. And snack on some tasty treats.

I'm sharing a table with some of my favorite gals, who happen to own some of my favorite businesses: Amanda from The Fanciful Fox and Marina from Better Butter. It's going to be a trifecta of awesome. You'll want to find us. Marina's got that delicious peanut butter, now in adorable variety packs. Amanda will be bringing her amazing soap, and whatever else she can fit in the car. There might be some hand-knit items. There might be some books and clothes and other random bullshit. And what will I have? I'm so glad you asked!

Chocolate Chip cookie sandwiches.

Oatmeal Cream Pies.

Lots of whoopie pies (Pumpkin, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Gingerbread with an eggnog filling).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. And if you're really lucky, some Pumpkin roll.

Make the flea market a part of your day on Saturday. It's always a treat, and you're sure to check some people off your list!

Punk Rock Flea Market- Holiday Edition
Saturday December 11, 2010
10 AM- 5PM
$3 Admission


at the Punk Rock Flea Market-Dome
461 N 9th St
Philadelphia PA19123

Better Butter update: America, get excited!

Remember a few weeks ago I talked about my love affair with a local Philadelphia peanut butter company, Better Butter? Many of you outside Philly asked how you could get your hands on some, and at the time it wasn't possible. 

But now all of your Christmas wishes have come true, because starting this week Better Butter launched a shiny new website equipped with online ordering! Suffer no longer my long-distance friends. You too can have delicious low-calorie and low-fat peanut butter in your bellies! 

And for the holiday season, a variety pack of 4 oz jars is available in all 3 flavors. Obviously a wonderful gift for that nut butter lover in your life. Or if you're that lover, add it to your wishlist. Screw the scarf under the tree, and make sure you ask for some Better Butter!

To order, just head over to the website. All the details are there! Happy NOMing!

Punk Rock Flea Market, Holiday Edition

I've been baking all day. For Real. Y'know how people say things like that: "i've been working all day"... "i've been playing video games all day"... "i've been thinking about how the Eagles crushed the Giants all day", but usually it's hyperbole. You weren't really doing those things all day, just for a long time, or longer than usual. No, no my friends. Baking. ALL DAY. I've peed a couple of times, and took a shower. Other than that, the kitchen has been my prison. Mixing, rolling, stirring, measuring, scooping, baking. Non-stop, like a machine for about 16 hours. 

It's not for Christmas either. It's for Philly's Punk Rock Flea Market. Which is later today (Sunday), from 10am-5pm at the Starlight Ballroom. Where I'll be selling lots of cookies (vegan and regular), vegan chocolate peanut butter cups, and some pies (sweet potato and vegan chocolate peppermint). I've also got some hand-made crocheted goodies, and some random stuff that's been lying around for awhile. Like some clothes I've never worn, some gifts I never liked, and a New Kids on the Block wood-backed poster circa 1989.  If those reasons aren't good enough for you to venture to the shady area north of Chinatown, honestly I'm not sure what you're doing with your life. 

(crocheted headbands)

And I'm sure you're thinking, "but there's 27 feet of snow outside, why would anyone brave those conditions for a flea market?" Did I mention I was baking all day? That, and there are lots of vendors with tons of awesome stuff both handmade and vintage. And it's the weekend before Christmas, and I'm sure there's at least someone on your list that you still need to buy for. Or maybe you want to treat yourself to a homemade sweet potato pie with a pecan streusel topping made by yours truly. Whatever your deal, brave the cold and the snow, and come browse. If you're really nice, I might even give you a cookie...

(oatmeal chocolate chip! Notice the hole in the middle where Ken stuck his finger to claim ownership of the last one...)

Saturday December 19th and Sunday December 20th 10:00am to 5:00pm
At The Starlight Ballroom (460 N 9th Street - 9th & Spring Garden-ish)
All Ages / 21+ To Drink / $3 Entry Donation /

THE PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET – TWO DAY HOLIDAY EDITION !

It's that time again for the bi-annual (twice a year) PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET. R5's most popular reoccurring event/show/whatever (by far). They had over 4000 visitors and 100+ tables of  old records, clothes, art, music, food, junk, bicycles, stereo equipment, instruments, automobiles, tools, posters, furniture, computers, skateboards and lots of other stuff this past July. It's all going down at The Starlight Ballroom (right below 9^th & Spring Garden Sts)

To meet the increasing demand of people wanting to sell their stuff at this – they have spread it out over two days. Each day will have entirely different sellers . Your admission donation is good for both days (so you can come in and out as many times as you would like over the weekend -  In addition There will be much more room to shop compared to flea markets in the past

All proceeds raised will goto the purchase of necessary equipment and supplies to ensure that all ages shows continue to remain a reality at The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia - mainly an annual payment for their liability insurance policy. Do not let the "name of the event" lead you to believe that it's just punk records, clothes etc. - it's a full on flea market with everything from furniture, to laptops / computers , to stereo equipment, to handmade apparel, to vegan treats, information from various non profit groups, book stores, artists selling their work, bicycles & skateboards and whatever else they can fit onto the ballroom floor at The Starlight Ballroom

In addition to the normal flea market stuff there will also be a full bar and food service kitchen to make the day go by a little faster as well as a rotating shift of WKDU DJs

 TAKE A LOOK AT THE SELLERS LIST :
http://www.r5productions.com/prfm.html