Support Handmade: Tami Noyes of Vegan Appetite

Vegan Appetite is one of those blogs I read back in the day, when there were only about 10 vegan blogs floating around and it was an outright event when new posts went up. It wasn’t until some time later that I got to know the author, Tami Noyes, through forums and facebookeries. She is a delightful person and I’m pleased to have some of her cookbooks in my collection.

Her first, American Vegan Kitchen, came out in 2010. It contains my favorite muffin recipe that I have ever made, the delicious Cinnacrunch Muffins. You should buy the book for this recipe alone, but wait! There’s more! You’ll also get a great burger bun recipe, the cheesecake pictured on the cover, the All American Incrdiburgers, and many more!

Tami Noyes has also published a few books co-authored with the amazing Ms. Celine Steen, among them Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day.

The chickpea shawarma is a must and I loved the beet barley burgers. And you don’t have to make just sandwiches. There are recipes for various meats, spreads, and toppings that can be used however you like. I highly recommend the bierocks if you love you some rye bread and sauerkraut.

You can buy any of her cookbooks over at Herbivore and keep the small business love rolling. And check out Tami’s blog now for a preview of their upcoming Great Vegan Protein Book and a giveaway!

Support Handmade: A Studio by the Sea

I met Jody of A Studio by the Sea a number of years ago when I lived in New York City and belonged to a local craft group. She was always super kind with giving rides or sharing a tent (rare commodities for New Yorkers used to public transit) and I got to show at a number of fairs with her.

Jody makes wonderful lamp work glass jewelry. As a panda who loves cookies, I have long loved her line of sweets necklaces, especially the wee cupcakes. Her chains and headpins are all sterling silver and the detail on each piece is fabulous. Each sprinkle done by hand and she even adds the grooves in the cupcake papers.

True to her business name she also has a line of Oceana beads and necklaces. I love how much attention every single bead gets, and as someone who can get very obsessive with my own work, I really appreciate the time it takes to get everything just so.

You can order through her etsy shop and if you’re near Beacon, New York you can also see her wares in person at the Hudson Valley Etsy Team’s Holiday Fair at the Howland Cultural Center on Saturday December 13th.

Support Handmade: 20 Days of Handmade

I say this every year during the holidays but this year I am saying it even louder: support handmade! It is no secret that I am a fan of small, independent, and creative businesses. So for the month of December I will be highlighting such a business every day on my blog. A lot of these businesses are people I have met over the years but some are handcrafters whose work I own or simply admire.

Please consider supporting some of these creators this month! You don’t need to get great uncle Algie another pair of socks when you can buy him a 6 pack of whoopie pies, an PRG, or a custom made mug. Check back on December 1st to see my first business pick!

10% for the Portland Women’s Crisis Line

It’s that time of year again! Time to decide who to donate 10% of shop profits to for the months of November and December. We’re pretty fortunate to have the Give Guide here in Portland, OR, that encourages people to give at the end of the year. The have both a website and a print publication that highlights numerous charities. Many charities get matching funds for part of their donations that go through the Give Guide, so I’ve decided to donate through them this year.

I’ve chosen the Portland Women’s Crisis Line as this year’s recipient. Please take a moment to read about their 24 hour service support for women who are experiencing domestic or sexual violence. You can donate to them directly and 10% of all sales in my shop from November 1 through December 30 will be donated on December 31 (which is the cut off for Give Guide donations).

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes and Plans

I am no recipe creator but I’ve been seeing friends post plenty of great vegan Thanksgiving recipes this year. I’m doing a little round up of delicious things you can make this week to share or to keep for leftovers all week.

First up is squash dressing. I’d never heard of this dish until Johnp blogged about it for vegan mofo a few years ago. Cornbread and summer squash mixed up together and baked. Pictured is his squash casserole, which uses that same ubiquitous squash with cracker crumbs. Choose your own casserole adventure!

I’m also a big fan of the Campbell’s soup recipe for green bean casserole. This one is super easy to veganize. Substitute soy milk for the dairy milk. The cream of mushroom soup can be subbed with the recipe from Cookin’ Crunk or by using a vegan boxed soup such as Imagine Portobello Mushroom (just thicken the packaged soup with some flour or cornstarch).

If you want to make your own roast, why not try out Isa Moskowitz’s seitan roast stuffed with shittakes and leeks? Or try out her cornbread stuffing with pecans and pears.

For dessert, I’m eyeing this pumpkin cheesecake pie from Joni Marie Newman. You can’t go wrong with pumpkin and cream cheese and this recipe looks very easy to make. Just remember to invite me over when it’s all done!

Personalized Pet Ornaments Cat and Dog

It’s th personlaized pet ornaments at time of year again! Personalized pet ornaments are back at Panda With Cookie!

These are easy to order and make wonderful Christmas gifts for any pet lover on your list. Send a photo of your cats and dogs to pandawithcookie at gmail dot com and I will email back with a price quote and any questions I have. I’ll then work on creating your pet pattern and send in progress photos for approval before the final sewing.

These are one of my favorite items to make at this time of year. Turnaround is as quick as a week and I’m already in production on orders.

I also have a new personalized pet item this year, the made to order cat stocking! This is an Eco Felt stocking in red or green that features your pet’s face and any letter of your choice on the cuff. I can ship one pre-stuffed with a catnip carrot or catnip dinosaur from my shop. If you’re interested in one for your pup, send me an email and I’ll work on a prototype.

Personalized pet ornaments and stockings are wonderful and unique gifts. They are sure to delight on the Christmas tree for years to come.

Grout Elementary Holiday Bazaar November 22

Panda With Cookie will be at the Grout Elementary holiday bazaar on Saturday, November 22, from 9-3. The sale is a benefit for the 5th grade trip to Science Camp. There’s a pancake breakfast at 8 am and doors to the fair open at 9 am. I’ll have a fresh batch of my taco pirate ornaments for sale after almost selling out last weekend, as well as my usual selection of plush and baby onesies.

Come out and support that Science Camp trip! I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Work in Progress, Holiday Ornaments, Cat Stockings, Tea

The holiday season is upon us and is hopefully my busy season. I am focusing on some work in progress for a show at Llewellyn Elementary this weekend, working on my new personalized cat stockings, and some special order ornaments today. And drinking some tea which I see now is nearly empty.

I am also starting to list some of my 2014 Christmas ornaments including my new pirate star. This little one has a red ribbon to hang on the tree and a fabric loop sewn on the back if you want to use it as a tree topper. I’ve been topping my tree with one of these for the past couple of years and it always proves popular.

My tea of choice this morning is lapsang souchong from Townshend’s Tea. Mug courtesy of Vida Vegan Con.

Buckeye Balls Now With Vegan Recipe

Buckeye balls! Who doesn’t love them? Peanut butter and crispy cereal rolled up in chocolate. This is my favorite quick dessert to take someone. They are easy to make, don’t require a lot of ingredients and need no measuring.

I first learned of Buckeye balls from kittee’s great Papa Tofu zine and I use a mix of the recipes from there and Vegan Finger Foods. Today I’m going to share my magical recipe with you.

Buckeye Balls Panda Style

-Put some powdered sugar in a bowl, and add some crispy style cereal to it. Mix. Make sure there’s about twice as much crispy as there is sugar

-Add a dash of cinnamon and mix again.

-Plop in some peanut butter and mix it up until it’s a good consistency. Add more crispy cereal if it is too soft, add more peanut butter if you can’t incorporate the dry mixture.

-Roll into balls and freeze.

-Melt some chocolate and dip each frozen ball in and cover. Drop onto wax paper and freeze again. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly round and smooth like the picture people put on Pinterest. They will be more tasty if they are lumpen and uneven.

-Eat 5 with some tea in your garlic mustard mug.

Llewellyn Elementary School Holiday Market 2014

I am pleased to announce that I will be at the Llewellyn Elementary School Holiday Market on Friday, November 14th and Saturday, November 15th. The show is from 2:30-6 pm on Friday and 10-4 on Saturday and is located at 6301 SE 14th Ave in Portland, Oregon. Please stop by and say hello! They will have a raffle going with proceeds going to benefit the PTA and one of my mini monsters will be up for grabs!