400th Post: Favorites Edition

Let me name drop for the 400th time my friend Karla, of Veganshizzle on this, 

the 400th POST ON GET SCONED!  Holy Crap, it's exciting.

Her latest post is a spazzy list of favorites and I thought I'd jump on board with mine.  

I wandered into my flickr stream for inspiration....

Of course I'm starting with the cats.  Here's Huxley and Zelda on my newish (vintage) couch,

which I also adore.  They're actually next to each other!  OMG.

Chocolate Peppermint Vitasoy.  I stockpile this stuff come $1 end-of-season sale time and merrily drink it throughout the year.  Chilled.  I don't need to go on.  Just try it.

I picked up this Kozy Shack Soy Pudding on sale at Grocery Outlet for $1.49 a while back.  I rarely make pudding for myself but was a big Kozy Shack rice pudding fan back in high school.  I haven't read about a Soy Rice Pudding yet, but for a vanilla snack pack, this was good and a trio of friends agreed.  It made me feel like a special vegan little kid.

There wasn't a big soy beany taste that packaged vegan pudding can be victim of and therefore not shine in vanilla form.  Like I want banana soy pudding??

Overall - Recommended!

The downtown farmer's market - specifically, the Wednesday downtown.  It's right by my office and is one half of why I actually look forward to the midweek.  I can pick up produce, lunch sample what's in season, people watch and escape work within a block of my office.  Sadly, last week was the final one for the season.  

The other reason I look forward to Wednesdays - ANTM night with friends!  Yes, there was a vegan on it this season.  There were a few mentions of her veganism on the show early in the cycle.  She wasn't my favorite, sorry!  That goes to awkward Marjorie.  I don't see how McKey won't win, though.

Making ANTM even better?  The hilarious Four Four recaps.

This is a food blog.  Cooking is my favorite!  No, baking!  Cooking!  All of it!  Tofu!

Fancy cocktails, like this freshly squeezed Whiskey Sour.  I made this one after using a vintage cocktails book for a craft project (my decoupaged kitchen table).  I probably sat down to watch Mad Men right after this.

But I'm also a sucker for $2 greyhounds at Tube, not to mention their 5pm-1opm happy hour cheap vegan eats.  $3 Fake ham and cheeze!  2 for $5!  They no longer call it the McGonnigle, but whatever.

There's something about their greyhounds that tastes like vanilla.  

Veganshizzle and I attend bi-monthly Tubesdays!

Gourmet chocolate.  A second Cacao location opened up by my office downtown and on a trying day, I actually stopped in for the first time and picked up a soy macchiato and a dark chocolate mint bar - with actual mint leaves, oooooo.  I've gotten 1/4 through the bar and the rest is in my freezer waiting for me.

Trader Joe's dried cranberries.  $1.99 a bag.  I pick one up whenever I'm there, which is more often come winter, when the farmer's markets are gone.  My go-to snack.

I can't think of what truly replaced it - but the TLP (tempeh, lettuce, roasted pepper) at Red & Black Cafe was my first favorite sandwich in Portland and remained so for trio of years. 

 

The cafe used to be located across the street from my apartment in SE, but was forced to move last year.  It's now all vegan and located next door to the vegan mini mall, still in SE.  I can't say if it's the move or the chopped roasted red pepper as opposed to strips, or tortilla chips over potato chips, but it's no longer my favoritest sandwich ever in Portland, but it's still up there, no doubt - especially on rye or Dave's Killer Good Seed bread.

Family!  I have a tiny family and they're in NY, but they must go on this list if my cats are! Here's my sister, myself and our grandparents in May, before her college graduation from Stonybrook University.  If you remember from last month, my brother Rick was in town for the first time, he's definitely a favorite, too.

Rich's Whip at Sweet Pea Brunch.  And kale!!!! Horribly bad for you vegan whipped cream from a can goodness, balanced a little bit by stocking your plate with kale.

Hell, Sweet Pea, specifically.  Wait....Katie Jane from Sweet Pea Bakery!  She's the best.  

Another favorite meal - the $8 BBQ Tofu Platter from Bye & Bye.  I subbed brussel sprouts for the collards the last time I went and wouldn't do that again and don't understand why the tofu is sprinkled with nutritional  yeast as well, but moving on - great food, great plate, reasonable price.  We had a black out in SE on Monday night and some friends and I trekked up north for grub.  

Once again, Zelda.  The Couch.  The end.

What's on your list?