Pride Cupcakes

The last few weeks have been so exciting for the LGBT community.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is nearing its final day…

The state of NY has legalized same sex marriage…

There seems to be an increase in glitter protests…

All around, it has been an exciting couple of weeks! What better way to celebrate than with some rainbow pride cupcakes?

I actually made these in June for the wonderful Pittsburgh Pride celebration and am finally getting around to posting it. But with such an exciting week of LGBT events, I think it still fits.

So make some pride cupcakes, hug a gay person, and figure out more ways to throw glitter at Michelle Bachman.

Recipe and an inside picture after the jump…

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Provincetown: A Vegan Guide

Last week I was fortunate enough to head to one of my favorite places in the world- Provincetown, MA.

For those of you unfamiliar with Provincetown, it is the easternmost city in Massachusetts. In addition, it is also one of the most gay friendly cities in the US. Provincetown is the perfect mix of everything I love: beach, sun, drag queens, food, and liquor.

Husband and I headed there for a lovely vacation that gave us a much needed break from all of our dog drama and stress.

Since I had not been to Provincetown in almost 9 years I couldn’t really remember much of their food options. The last time I was there I probably would have settled for pizza and ice cream; clearly times have changed.

Here is my quick and dirty lowdown of vegan Provincetown and a few fun pictures from my adventure.

Napi’s Restaurant

An eclectic, very “old-Cape” restaurant that has just about anything you can imagine on the menu. The server was really nice and super accommodating. They do have a specific “vegetarian” section and made distinctions about dairy, etc. I had the “Jewel in the Crown,” which is essentially a tofu curry stir fry. Not the best curry I have ever had, but it was good relatively speaking. Like most of Provincetown, it’s a bit on the pricey side!

Governor Bradford

The GB is a Provincetown staple, right in the middle of town. I had the spaghetti... Do I need to say any more? Make sure to go to their drag queen karaoke and see Anita Cocktail; she is a friend and an all around hoot.

Tiny’s

Tiny’s is an intimate rooftop restaurant right on the main drag. They had an exquisite vegan Caesar salad and wonderful vegetable pakoras. Two big thumbs up for Tiny’s! The menu was also clearly marked, which I love. I would say this is a must visit for any vegan visitor to P-town.

Devon’s Café

Devon’s was literally right next to our hotel and it was so good we ate there twice. I always think finding good vegan breakfast can be a bit of a challenge. Devon’s had tofu scramble AND vegan French toast. This is another must visit! The outdoor seating is lovely, the servers are precious, and there is a bowl of the best raspberry jam I have ever had on every table.  All around, perfect.

Bradford Natural Market

So this is not a restaurant, but it is the best place to purchase vegan / organic fare if you have a kitchen. Plus, they have a wonderful take out cooler with amazing sandwiches. Husband and I split a peanut curry wrap that was just perfect. It is a little pricey, but with its size and location that is to be expected. I have a special place in my heart for small organic food markets and this place did not disappoint.

Harbor Lounge

Not a restaurant, but the Harbor Lounge was just a super cool bar. Wanted to make sure I share!

El Mundo Restaurant

This is a fun little Mexican place right in the center of Provincetown. We went in for a light lunch and they had clearly labeled vegan black beans and rice, which is one of my favorite light meals.

Karoo Kafé

I didn’t have the chance to go here, but they have a really nice menu with a ton of vegan options. If you ever make it to Provincetown, make sure to go and tell me about it! Everything on the menu sounded great!

Lewis Brothers

An ice cream place that had vegan fruit sorbet... I didn't go, but I am happy they had some type of frozen vegan treats!

More pictures after the jump...

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A Sad Day in the Burgh

Vegan Mostess (my favorite)

While I was on vacation last week, one of my favorite Pittsburgh institutions closed its doors.

Dozen Bake Shop has been serving up lovely cupcakes and baked goods over the past several years, staring out as a little place in Squirrel Hill and expanding to a number of store fronts around the city. For whatever reason, they abruptly announced their closing last week.

I have posted about Dozen before; they were an excellent place for a 3:00 cupcake fix. They were one of the few places that offered vegan cupcakes (and awesome molasses cookies) daily and year round in Pittsburgh. It was such a shame to see them go. *tear*

I have visited many other awesome bakeries and cafés that serve delightful vegan baked goods, but Dozen will always old a special place in my heart.

This song pretty much sums up my feelings.

Do you have a favorite vegan dessert place? Comment and tell me about it! Maybe I can add it to my "must visit" list...

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Mini Lasagna Cups

I feel like I am always on a quest to find the perfect appetizer to bring to a party.

I like to bring things that are easy to make, pretty/cute, delicious, and make believers out of non-vegans. Can you get all of those things in one hors douvres hor douvres whore devre  horedevres whores devils appetizer?

When you are the token vegan bringing anything to a party, it better damn well be delicious because you have about 5 seconds to make a believer out of any skeptic. Of course this always makes me laugh, since clearly vegans eat only things made of dirt and broccoli.

I recently saw a recipe for non-vegan mini lasagna cups and I thought they looked like a perfect party treat. I made them and they pretty much fit all of my qualifications. I brought them to husbands’ softball game and a fellow chubby (non-vegan) woman damn near fainted from how good they were.

When I told them they were vegan she pretty much did a spit take.

*pulling at suspenders*

My work here is done…

Recipe after the jump…

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Missing In Action

Buddy's Recovery

You can just call me the Chubby stranger because that is what I have felt like!

So here is the low down. I have four dogs, Pepper, Marci, Buddy, and Nana. My dog Nana has been really sick over the past few months. She is about 13 and has mammary cancer. We really thought we were going to lose her two weeks ago and then miraculously she started feeling much better.

Nana

I will spare you the gross details, but she is now feeling much better. Yay Nana!

However, by some cruel twist of fate, another one of our dogs (Buddy) got hurt. We are not really sure how, but he managed to rupture 4 disks in his neck and upper back. We think it was a furniture related accident. He was in more pain than I think you can even imagine and then he lost his ability to walk. What followed was a very costly surgery and will now be a very long recovery.

A very special person in our life helped us more than I can even explain and saved Buddy’s life. That person and the neurologist and staff at the Pittsburgh Veterinary and Specialty Emergency Center (PVSEC) are Buddy’s Angels.

This all happened right up against what was to be the first week long vacation Husband and I were going to have in a long time. Thanks to Mom-in-law we were still able to go away for half of it, which was lovely.

There you have it. My patience and emotions have been stretched fairly thin over the past few weeks.

Back to food tomorrow! I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait! 

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