Another Delicious Trip to Seed & Soil

Hi everyone! On Sunday, I hung out with my sister and we went to Seed & Soil for lunch. We were excited to see that there were more new items on the menu!

We each ordered a cheesesteak like last time, and then I got the mac & cheese, while she decided to try the soup. 

For a drink, I got apple cider; she got the pineapple lemonade.

Everything was fantastic, as always! I was too full to finish all of the mac, so I took home the leftovers; for lunch the next day, I added some Boca chik’n and mixed veggies… 

Here’s Rogue all curled up and sleepy… 

And here she is cuddling on top of me and sticking out her tongue ever so slightly… 

Peace. :)

Apple Cider Popsicles (House Vegan)

Hi everyone! I’d been hoping to make at least one more batch of popsicles before fall, and I found the perfect recipe over at House Vegan! These apple cider popsicles were easy to make, and didn’t require a blender, which was nice (less to clean up afterwards, haha!). I had one today, and it was really good! I don’t think I’ve ever had an apple-flavored popsicle before, so this was new but definitely fun and seemed perfect for this time of year, with fall right around the corner... 

Here’s Buttons napping in the sunshine... 

Peace. :)

Polish Pizza

Hello everyone! Today's prompt – "Make (or eat!) a traditional local dish" – had me stumped, so on the first day of MoFo, I walked to the library and checked out three books about Phoenixville's history. 

The first two were quick reads since they were basically postcards/photos with captions. They were from the more recent past, so it was cool to see what's changed and what remains. The third book, however, was published in 1872, so it contained some really old history, beginning with the Native Americans who lived in the area before the first European settlers arrived in 1713 (Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker, Annals of Phoenixville and Its Vicinity, p. 7). It was a really interesting read, but I didn't find any food mentioned that could be considered distinctly "Phoenixville." So I started thinking about the kind of food we currently have in town. A few restaurants (like Thai L'Elephant and the Great American Pub) offer vegan dishes, so that's neat. However, the most common food is probably pizza, as there's a bunch of pizza shops on both Bridge Street and Nutt Road. (We've gotten pizza from Franco's, since they have Daiya cheese for vegan pizzas.) Pizza certainly isn't unique to Phoenixville, but an idea was forming... What about combining the past & the present? I could take pizza – a currently ubiquitous food in town – and top it with ingredients from Polish cuisine, since Polish immigrants came to Phoenixville in the early 20th century (Vincent Martino Jr., Around Phoenixville, p. 8). There's also a pretty cool link between Phoenixville and Poland's capital: Warsaw is nicknamed by some as the "Phoenix City" for all that it has endured throughout the years. How cool is that! 

For my Polish pizza, I put thinly-sliced red potatoes on the dough, baked it for a bit, then added on sautéed onions, kielbasa, and sauerkraut (I'd also planned to add mushrooms, but they'd gotten funky, so I passed on that, lol!), baked it a bit more, and sprinkled on salt and pepper.

Last but not least, I added a bit of the distant past, serving my Polish pizza with apple cider, since "Between the years 1760 and 1824 apples were very abundant; a cider press could be found upon almost every farm for the manufacture of cider, of which vast quantities were consumed at home; and a beverage was also distilled from the fruit to be sold" (Pennypacker, p. 181).

All in all, it turned out pretty good for a first attempt. Next time, I'll use more onions and a bit more sauerkraut, add mushrooms, and try to bake the potatoes separately so they get crispy.

P.S. Here are some awesome things in Phoenixville...

The Schuylkill River Trail (July 2015).

The French Creek (October 2014).

One of many murals (December 2013).

And, of course, the Firebird Festival (December 2013).

Buttons & Leela like living in Phoenixville, too.

"My favorite thing is the nice warm breeze."

"My favorite thing is the sunshine."

Peace. :)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! My treat for you today is a post chock full of photos of more decorations, candy, and of course, Mystery!

Since my last Halloween post, I've gotten two new decorations, as well as some adorable old cookie cutters that my mom found for me.

Painted by my aunt.

Scarecrow from my mom.

 

I've also made two more apple cider jug ghosts.

  

*narrows eyes* "Another one? Really?"

 

"Hmmm...I guess this one's alright."

The whole group of ghosties.

Oh, and I did some spooky sketches, too.

My favorite Halloween candy when I was younger (and obviously not vegan yet) was Reese's peanut butter cups. But there's nothing to fear, for there's a delicious vegan version that I just recently tried out: Justin's organic dark chocolate peanut butter cups. They are awesome!

Zach and I bought a good amount of vegan Halloween candy – Skittles (original and sour), Jolly Ranchers, Sour Patch Kids, and Swedish Fish – so we will be prepared for the trick-or-treaters tonight! I'm so excited; I love giving out treats and seeing all the cute, creative costumes!

I'm going to be a witch again this Halloween, but little old Mystery decided she didn't want to be my familiar. Instead, she wanted to be the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. 

I found her practicing a couple days ago, sitting up in bed, all snuggled in, just waiting for some noms to be brought to her by an unsuspecting do-gooder who might have believed she was their grandmother.

"My, what few teeth you have!"

"The better to gum you with, my dear!"

Peace. :)

More Halloween Decorations

Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying getting into the Halloween spirit! 

Just a short post today to show a few decorations I have added to the mix!

My mom gave me this little ghost and pumpkin decoration...

...and I got these two ghosts (and cat) from my aunt.

Since making my first apple cider jug ghost, I have made two more, so our apartment is getting quite spooky!

Second ghost.

Third ghost.

All lit up.

The ghost buddies hanging out together.

Here's a photoset of Mystery, up close & personal, checking out my camera!

Peace. :)