Target Lady=My Idol

How could you not love this lady...she's hilarious.

I Can't Live Without My Sirius...Seriously!

Being that I drive across town almost every day for work, I listen to the radio all the time. Even when I am at home, I listen to the radio. Not just any radio...Sirius Radio. My favorite channel is Sirius XMU.

It is a great indie rock station and I have learned about so many great artists over the course of the last 3 years. The best part is that there are no commercials. Some of the bands I've been listening to and loving from XMU are Harlem, Fresh And Onlys, Tennis, Women, DOM, White Denim, Dent May, Villagers, Foals, Sufjan Stevens, Black Angels, Streets, Black Keys, Broken Bells, Tame Impala, Blitzen Trapper, Best Coast, Dr. Dog, Soft Pack, Morning Benders, So So Glos, Sleigh Bells, Born Ruffians, Field Music, Avi Buffalo, Deer Tick, Wilco and so on. This music seriously adds so much enjoyment to my life. I love XMU sessions, which are live in-studio performances by various indie bands. I also love Blog Radio...Hipster Runoff's Carles is hilarious. I love the other Blog Radio shows: My Old Kentucky Blog, Gorilla Vs. Bear , Brooklyn Vegan and Aquarium Drunkard. 

I also love Elvis Radio, Sirius Hits 1, 50s on 5, Classic Rewind, Classic Vinyl, Underground Garage, Siriusly Sinatra, etc. Matt loves the Grateful Dead channel...I HATE the Grateful Dead channel. In fact, I wish there was a clever way to block the GD channel from my car, so I never have to listen to it! I suppose I could survive without Sirius, but I wouldn't want to; it's become a part of me. This time of year is my favorite because I have so many channel options! You can sign up for internet radio or even get a subscription to listen to on your Blackberry or IPhone/IPod Touch.

Sirius just rolled out their holiday programming 2 days ago. SIRIUS XM's holiday music channels will showcase traditional holiday songs, classical Christmas carols, Hanukkah music, country Christmas classics and contemporary seasonal music. The special holiday programming will feature holiday music favorites recorded by artists from all genres. The various channels will offer listeners the perfect soundtrack for the holiday season. 3 of the 5 channels aren't live yet, but at least I have some holiday channels to choose from!

SIRIUS XM Radio holiday channel lineup features:
Holiday Traditions (SIRIUS channel 4 and XM channel 4) will feature traditional holiday recordings from the '40s through the '60s by artists such as Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Ray Conniff and Nat "King" Cole.
Monday, November 15- Saturday, January 1
Holly (SIRIUS channel 3 and XM channel 23) will feature contemporary holiday music as well as traditional favorites, including songs by John Mayer, Colbie Caillat, Josh Groban, Mariah Carey and Michael Buble.
Monday, November 15- Friday, December 31
Radio Hanukkah (SIRIUS channel 76 and XM channel 28) will feature an extensive collection of Hanukkah music, including contemporary, traditional and children's Hanukkah selections. Hasidic reggae musician Matisyahu will present nightly blessings and share personal stories and memories about past Hanukkahs.
Wednesday, December 1- Thursday, December 9
Holiday Pops (SIRIUS channel 79 and XM channel 77) will feature classical Christmas carols sung by the greatest classical musicians of all-time, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Luciano Pavarotti, Boston Pops and Leontyne Price.
Wednesday, December 1- Saturday, December 25
Country Christmas (SIRIUS channel 62 and XM channel 10) will feature a wide-ranging assortment of country Christmas music, including Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Rogers.
Friday, December 10- Saturday, December 25

I bet there are some holiday promotions for Sirius radios and subscriptions. Seriously, you'll love Sirius!

Mychelle Skincare Reviews

Over the last 9 months of being vegan (today it's been 9 months-YAY!), I have tried to assess every product I use, to determine if I could find a more animal-friendly and/or earth-friendly version. I am far from an earth-perfect consumer, but I have made some really great changes in my daily routines. I have used the Environmental Working Group's website for Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety  in my quest for natural deodorant, sunscreen and skincare.
I was recently on the mission to find a natural deodorant, but I have since decided that natural deodorant doesn't exist for me. I tried several products and none of them lived up to my expectations. The crystal products were a joke for me. The Tom's of Maine was horrible. I didn't try the Lush products, but the reviews don't sound very convincing. If you know of a natural deodorant I should try, let me know; I am waiting to be wowed. For now, Secret Clinical Strength is my go-to deodorant. It registers as a 5 out of 10 on it's hazard level. Not the worst, but certainly not the best...and I don't stink!
If you haven't seen a photo of me, let me tell you how pale I am; I resemble a ghost. This is me in the sun, looking as pale as could be, last spring.

I recently took a liking to running outside. Pale skin + AZ sun=bad burn. I have to admit I have been very disappointed in many popular natural sunscreens, but not because they didn't protect my skin. I just didn't like the ghosting effect that many of the natural sunscreens produced; many turn white on your skin. Add sweat to the equation and you have white sweat dripping down your face, neck and arms...not a good look. Burt's Bees sunscreen was the worst with the ghosting effect. The best I found came as a recommendation from my friend Cody. She said she had tried some Mychelle sunscreen in Colorado and liked it. I looked it up online and bought some from Amazon (It is also for sale on the Mychelle website). It does the job: 1) It protects my skin with natural ingredients. 2) It doesn't make me look like a sweaty ghost. 3) It is a vegan product.

Since the Mychelle sunscreen was a perfect fit for me, I decided to give the other Mychelle skincare products a try. I have oily and dry skin (awesome), in addition to being extremely sensitive to chemicals on my face. I highly recommend the Clear Skin Cleanser by Mychelle. 1 bottle has lasted me 5 months so far. I'll probably need to order another bottle in a couple weeks. A 4.4 oz bottle is under $18. It is gentle, but you can feel how clean your skin is. A bonus is that it is vegan!

I use the Clear Skin Cleanser daily and use the Fruit Enzyme Scrub every other day. 1 bottle of the scrub lasted exactly 5 months for me. It costs $17 a bottle.

I finish with a facial moisturizer called the Oil-Free Grapefruit Cream that controls my oily skin, but gives just the right amount of moisture. A bottle costs around $30 and lasted me about 4 months.

I have been so pleased with all the Mychelle products and I am thrilled that the line is being sold locally. I heard that the products can be found at Whole Foods and Sunflower Market. Mychelle has a handy vegetarian/vegan product listing page online. The next Mychelle products I want to try: NOTOX anti-wrinkle cream, Revitalizing Night Cream and the Fruit Fiesta Peel (all vegan). Give Mychelle a try! I think you'll love it!

Vegan pumpkin brownie cupcakes with vanilla maple cinnamon buttercream

We got invited to a dinner party tonight, hosted by our friends, Andy and Jenny. Jenny knows that we are vegan, so she sent me an Italian vegetable stew recipe she wanted to make, just to ensure it was vegan. I looked it over and thought it looked delicious. It turned out to be the perfect hot meal for the patio dinner party. Jenny served fresh artisan bread with the stew and we used oil for dipping.

I decided last minute today to bake something for the party. I was searching for seasonal cupcake flavors. I found pumpkin chocolate chip and pumpkin spice cupcake recipes, then I hit the mother load; pumpkin pie brownie cupcakes.

These cupcakes are great without frosting, but I was determined to take them over-the-top. I found a vanilla maple cinnamon buttercream recipe that worked out perfect.

7 taste-testers said these cupcakes were awesome! They are easy-breezy to make and will be a hit at any holiday party or dinner; vegans and non-vegans approve!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Brownie Cupcakes
Makes 10 cupcakes
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Brownie Layer:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened (I used vegetable oil)
• 3/4 cup white kamut flour (I used white flower)
• 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot/tapioca)
• 1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Pumpkin Pie Layer:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot/tapioca)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
• Shaved chocolate, for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a muffin tin (or use paper muffin cups).
2. For brownie layer: In a stand mixer or by hand, mix together the coconut oil, pumpkin, vanilla, and sugar until blended well. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking, soda, sea salt and mix until incorporated. Take about 2 tbsp of the mixture and place in muffin tin. Wet fingers and spread around evenly so it is smooth.

3. For pumpkin layer: In a large bowl mix together the pumpkin, vanilla, and milk. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well until all clumps are gone.  Now add approx 1.5-2 tbsp of the pumpkin pie mixture on top of each brownie in the pan.
Garnish with grated chocolate (I used a lemon zester to grate the chocolate).

4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and cool for 20-30 minutes and then move to the fridge to chill for 1.5 hours.

Vegan Vanilla Maple Cinnamon Buttercream

(adapted from Julie's Vegan Kitchen)

Makes enough to frost 10-12 cupcakes
Ingredients

1/4 c vegan butter

1/4 c vegan shortening (I used earth balance's shortening sticks)

2 c powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 TB maple syrup
cinnamon
Instructions

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar.  Then, add vanilla extract and maple syrup.  Beat until fluffy, adding milk or sugar as needed to achieve desired consistency.

6 Things I Love So Far For Winter 2010

1) This dress....which I will wear without shame, in public, with uggs. I bought my sister one, too, so we can be utterly obnoxious and ridiculously holiday-obsessed with our matching outfits, including our "Get Out Of My Way, I'm Going Christmas Shopping" bags! This was my first purchase from ModCloth.

2) Scarflettes like this one. I found 2 amazing bow tie scarlettes at Cost Plus, of all places. They were $16.99 each in a marbled knit (one in a citron blend and one is a mocha blend). I am in love with these little scarves! Scarves are my necklaces for the winter.

 


3) My new 1960s equestrian blazer purchased for $38 from seller AdrianCompanyVintage on Etsy (I LOVE Etsy).

After seeing a lovely version of a herringbone blazer on EmersonMade for $238, I was just casually searching for a vintage version and came across one on Etsy in my size. It just arrived today and it is lovely!
How cute is this EmersonMade jacket? I think my vintage one is pretty similar, with the exception of the buttons.

4) Leatherette boots in camel $31.95....and they look fab. They have a zipper in the back, but I really like that they are super comfy and actually a a little big in the calf area.

5) Green Mountain Apple Cider for Keurig. Single serve awesomeness....I am in love. Served in a double-walled insulated glass=perfection.

6) Choc Choc dark chocolate mint thins from Fresh And Easy. I have kinda given up on chocolate because most of it contains milk. Well, well, well....pretty packaging caught my eye, ingredients are vegan (70% dark chocolate and no milk) and they are rich and oh-so-coooooool.

More winter, please!!!!!!

Pop It Like It's Hot!

I don't know many people who have commercial popcorn machines in their homes, but let me just tell you how awesome they are! I found a used one from a local restaurant on Craigslist about 3 years ago for about $100. I have been making large batches of homemade popcorn ever since. I've tried a bunch of seasoning salts and found a way to use very little oil. Our current method is to start by heating up a little oil (about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil), then we measure 1 cup or organic popcorn and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Flavocol seasoned salt on top of the popcorn. When the oil is hot, we dump the seasoned corn into the kettle and start poppin'!

This is the popcorn machine I have

My popcorn essentials

My mission in life currently is to make AZ state fair kettle corn. I didn't go this year, as the vegan options at the fair seemed incredibly limited. I must find a way to make kettle corn in my popcorn machine!

I love sandwiches

I used to love the turkey cranberry sandwiches from Paradise Bakery. The sandwich reminded me of thanksgiving. I have created a vegan version that tastes pretty awesome:
Whole wheat sandwich thins
Tofurky cranberry and stuffing deli slices (works well with vegan gardenburgers, too)
Romaine lettuce
Cucumber (I like cucumber instead of tomato)
Vegenaise
Fresh and Easy cranberry orange relish

I like to pair the sandwich with a dill pickle and a sliced honey crisp apple.