Holiday Gift Guide From Panda With Cookie

It's that time of year! Time for the annual Panda With Cookie Vegan Christmas Gift Guide. It's the perfect time of the year to support small businesses and to support the people who are out there putting good into the world all year round.

First up! Get on down to Veganville for their delectable candy cane joe joe cupcakes. Gigi has lots of good treats in her shop with plenty of assortments and gift certificates to please anyone.

Herbivore Clothing Company has brand new teal good luck elephant sweatshirts. Michelle and Josh donate year round to animal sanctuaries and if you've ever been in their Portland, OR, storefront they are always willing to help out with recommendations.

Have a frosty glass of peppermint chocolate soymilk in a tall button tumbler from Olive Pit Pottery.  The owner blogs at Cadry's Kitchen, so you can also get another recipe for mac and cheese while you're at it.

Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! Tami Noyes and Celine Steen are two of the nicest and longest running vegan online personalities I know. Their books are all great and Celine's photography is absolutely gorgeous.  Celine can be found at Have Cake Will Travel while Tami blogs at Vegan Appetite.

My partner loves his Rex Organics cocoa balm for dry lips and hands. Easy to apply from a small reusable tin and lasts a long time.

A Studio By the Sea does gorgeous lampwork glass beads like this cupcake pendant with chain. Her craftsmanship and attention to detail is lovely. Support handmade!

First Friday Pop Up Shop Portland Oregon

Panda With Cookie will be vending at the First Friday Pop Up Shop this Friday, December 6th,  at 7 pm. We'll be in Sweetepa Baking at 1205 SE Stark St. at the corner of 12th Ave.  Come check out my holiday ornaments and enjoy some hot chocolate. There will be cards, jewelry, photography, paintings and more for sale. Support artists and crafters!

10% for Sanctuaries a Success!

Big thanks to everyone who supported the 10% for Sanctuaries event this past week. Panda With Cookie is pleased to have donated $27, which was slightly more than the goal I had set. We appreciate the support so much!

Teal Cat Project Ornaments for the Feral Cat Coalition

I am pleased that Panda With Cookie still has some Teal Cat Project ornaments available. Proceeds from each $9 ornament are going to benefit the Feral Cat Coalition in Portland, Oregon. Buy 1 for your tree or a bunch to stuff the stockings of everyone you know. Preorders are accepted now and shipping begins on November 25th. There are a limited amount available so order today!

Isa Does It: Lemon Blueberry Loaf

Everyone knows I love a good loaf. So I have of course made the lemon blueberry loaf from Isa Does It many times since testing last year. With a newly thrifted $4 mini loaf pan and an orange in the fridge that had seen its better days I decided to change the recipe up a wee bit and make blueberry orange mini loaf. Most delicious!
Isa will be at Powell's in Portland, Oregon Monday, November 18, at 7:30 pm for a Q & A and book signing. Don't miss out!

10% For Sanctuaries Week

Panda With Cookie is pleased to announce that we will be taking part in the 10% For Sanctuaries Week again this year.  10% of sales from today, Monday 11th, through Monday 18th, will be donated to Hope Animal Sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, or Out To Pasture Sanctuary. Thanks to the good folks at Herbivore Clothing Company for organizing!

I will be listing my 2014 holiday ornaments starting today as well, so look for new items being listed all week. Thanks for supporting us!

Awkward Food Photos: Noodles

Noodles! Such a tasty bowl you had for lunch. Chock full of noodley goodness with carrots and some broccoli and a delightful peanut sauce. But that doesn't translate in a photo of mostly drab beige ensconced in your plastic take out container as you sit at your construction site looking forward to going home to sew Feminism Now patches.

This photo needs help!

Photoshop some skinny letters on it to identify your food product! Use the word yum! Holy shit, now that looks tasty.

We Have A Winner!

The winner of my last giveaway is Dynah! If you are reading this, get in touch with me to claim your prize.

Another Dang Giveaway

I haven't been able to keep up with my MoFo this year, but I promised another giveaway and I will do it. I have one last copy of Amey's Vida Vegan Con Zine for one lucky reader. It is chock full of Amey's fabulous drawings with recipes from a number of speakers from the con. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment here. Contest ends September 28 at 11:59 pm PST. Please make sure I have a way to contact you through the comment you leave.
Edit update!  I will ship internationally, so this is open to everyone.

Awkward Food Photos: Pigs in a Blanket

I love me some food wrapped up in other food. So tasty. A classic example of this is the pig in a blanket. Now, this is a vegan blog so the only pigs in blankets are the ones sleeping at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in the big barn. But take any old veggie dog and wrap it with some dough or crescent dough and you go from a boring meal to a fun event in which your tastebuds will be wowed.

But what's with that food porn photo from your bocce potluck? A pile of wrapped dogs in a limpid tupperware that doesn't showcase the fun of eating food wrapped in other food.

This photo needs help!™

Put it on a piece of wood! Nothing says fun like a rustic wooden board. And double wrap those dang dogs. Two in one. Make sure it's a bit blurry or your eyeballs will be burned out by the sheer fun it is emanating.

Contest Winner!

We have a winner! Cranky Little Apricot has won a copy of Amy's Vida Vegan Con zine. I have a couple more copies to give away, so check back here later this week.

Awkward Food Photos: Chickpea Salad

   Chickpeas! So tasty, so versatile! The chickpea salad recipe from Vegan With a Vengeance is one of my favourites. Hijiki is where it is at.
  
    But what horror is this? You end up with is a big tan mash with some delicate black highlights. And a strip of blue in the back because it's part of your tupperware and you didn't want to sacrifice any of that pile o' tan to crop it out.

This photo needs help!

   Slap a copyright on it! Choose a bright color that contrasts and can't be missed. Now you mean business and people are going to take this blog seriously. And big ol' bonus! Now no one can use your photo because it's got your name emblazoned across the bottom.

Hot Damn A Giveaway

I was fortunate to attend the Vida Vegan Con Fun Time Extravaganza this past May. And I was able to pick up an extra copy of Amy's Vida Vegan Con 2013 Cookbooklette, which features recipes from a number of Vida speakers. (Check out Amy's blog Vegan Eats and Treats and her Noshtalgia theme for MoFo.)I thought MoFo would be a grand time to give away a copy of the zine, so all you lucky readers have a chance to get in on this. I'll ship worldwide. No need to like or follow or offer bribes (cookies, you say?). Just leave me a comment and make sure there is a way to get in touch with you. Contest closes at 11:59 pm PST this Saturday, Sept. 7.
Good luck!

Awkward Food Photos: Seitan

Oh heavens! What horror is this? A delicious batch of simmered seitan, straight from that must have cookbook Vegan With a Vengeance. But the flash! The brownness! The lack of any color whatsoever. The 50 year old Revere Ware (for life, baby) instead of a Fancy Pot from Fancy Store.

This photo needs help!

Look at that! Just throw on some random filter you find in your Photoshop and now it looks like a fun pot o' good times. Hell yeah!

I'll be here every Tuesday with more Awkward Food Photos.

Vegan Mofo 2013

It's that time of year again. The mofoiest time of year. Panda With Cookie has officially signed up but for the first time I have no plans and no themes. It has been a busy past month and will be a busy upcoming month but I am hoping to get some mostly humourous posts up here for your reading enjoyment.
We shall see what will come! Cheers!

Crafty Wonderland

Panda With Cookie is pleased to announce that we will be showing at Crafty Wonderland this Saturday, May 11th, from 11-6.  Located in Hall D at the Oregon Convention Center, there will be over 200 vendors out with their crafty wares. I will be located toward the back in Booth #178. Stop by for a free cookie and buy enough plush to fill your bed. Cthulhu needs a new home.