Super Peanut-Buttery Chick-O-Stick Cookies

As a coconut lover and a super fan of peanut butter, I really like vegan-by-accident Chick-O-Sticks.  They used to be somewhat hard to find, but, for some reason, my neighborhood Marshall's has been selling bags of "old-time candy" recently, and mini Chick-O-Sticks are one of the two vegan options (hello Atomic Fire Balls).  With restraint, I bought only one bag, but then when I went back they were on clearance for half price.  Am I the only Chick-O-Stick fan in the area?  Needless to say, I bought more, leaving me with two, possibly stale, giant sticks in the pantry (for those who don't know, Chick-O-Sticks come in a range of sizes: hard-candy size, pen-size, and gargantuan).

I recalled having read Jess Sconed's recipe for cookies that involved crushed chick-o-sticks and decided to try my hand at it.  Instead of a chocolate chip cookie recipe as a base, though, I decided to use a simple peanut butter cookie recipe.  So, I turned to Mom's (Lois', not mine) Warm Peanut Butter Cookies from Lois Dieterly's Sinfully Vegan, subbing chunky peanut butter for smooth. 

Admittedly, I'm a terrible cook.  I can't even follow recipes very well.  And this is a very simple recipe.  I intended to halve the recipe, but inevitably my stellar math skills came into play and I accidentally "wholed" one ingredient, forcing me to backtrack and double the rest.  In the end I thought I had all of the measurements right, but my batter seemed very wet.  I thought it might have something to do with the fact that I used regular peanut butter (full of oil) instead of natural, so I added more flour and that seemed to firm things up a bit. 

It was time for the Chick-O-Sticks!  I whirred two ginormous sticks in my Magic Bullet and instantly had Chick-O-Stick powder to add to my batter.  It made it super orange and very, very dry (making me rethink the previous flour addition), so I added more peanut butter.  When in doubt, some chefs add more butter.  I add more peanut butter.  A lot more.  Oh!  I also added peanuts; things can never be too peanutty.

What else?  Okay, I baked them and they were delicious.  Per usual, they weren't peanut-buttery enough for me (despite all of my peanutty additions), but the Chick-O-Sticks added a really nice sweetness and really, you can't beat cookies with an orange glow.

In lieu of an actual recipe, I'll say this: take your favorite cookie recipe and add lots of extra, oily, peanut butter.  Then add a generous amount of crushed Chick-O-Sticks, some peanuts, and even some shredded, toasted coconut if you're feeling extra fancy (obviously I wasn't).  For some reason you can't leave the cookies in balls, so pat them down a little flatter with a spatula before or midway through cooking.  Voila, you will have your very own glowing orange Chick-O-Stick cookies.

NeuAura Shoes

So, there was a little bit of a shoe spree.  I spied the boots at MooShoes during the VCIYCJ launch and thought they were adorable.  Then came the rest, pretty much in order.  They are all made by NeuAura, an all-vegan shoe company that offers an impressive assortment of slightly funky yet wearable shoes for us fashionable, ethical folks.

At first glance my chosen palate may look conservative, but the little touches add flair to the otherwise monochromatic grouping. 

The boot has a quiet sole and an ankle snap detail for extra snazz.
Besides the pewter band on the low-heeled, open-toe, it's also made of faux suede.
The hardware on the quiet-soled flat is peppered with understated glitter.
The heel fulfills all of your "little black shoe" needs and makes your feet and legs look super attractive.

Fear not though, their selection runs the gamut.  They have a wide variety of styles; you'll be hard-pressed not to find a shoe to match your whim or occasion.

So take a minute to browse the website and do a little shopping; it's always nice to support an all vegan business!  Bargain tip: you can sometimes get them on sale at Shoebuy.  And, if you register your email address they'll give you an extra 10% off.  Right, now you have no excuse; get on it.

Animal Friendly Esprit Coats: If You Look Hard Enough

Winter is upon us on the east coast; today we were treated to our first snowstorm of the season & it was a cold, wet, slushy mess. That said, I was even more freezing than usual.

In light of the impending, continuing, inclement weather, the stores have filled up with coats made up of our animal friends. It's easy to bypass the suede and leather because you can usually tell the real from the fake on sight (and neither keeps you warm anyway). But finding a warm, decently priced, true winter coat that is not made of wool or stuffed with down is more of a challenge. It's time consuming to read every label for content and disconcerting when you've gone through 100 and every one of them refers to "waterfowl" (yuck).

Last year I threw in the towel, but my Mom (who is never cold) persevered. I lucked out when she found me a completely man-made Esprit coat in Macy's. It was really toasty and had so many nice features that I was intent on getting another one this year. So, on my way home from Woodstock Farm Sanctuary's Thanksliving I stopped off at Woodbury Commons to visit the Esprit outlet. Lo and behold I had my choice of colors, lengths and styles; it was hard to choose just one. The other day was particularly wet, windy, and overall blustery: a perfect opportunity to test out my new coat. To my surprise, it was just as warm-- if not warmer-- than my first one.

I immediately logged onto the Esprit website to see what else they had to offer, but was disappointed that all of the coats on their site were filled with down. Then I visited their Flatiron retail store and found the same dilemma. So, basically the point of my rant is to tell you to get thee to an Esprit outlet because that seems to be the only place where you can get a warm, stylish, multi-functional, animal friendly coat suitable for the cold, wet days ahead. Know that I emailed the company to relay my gratitude and ask for some insight as to how to track down more animal friendly items and they never responded. Grrr*. Dudes, I thanked you for your product and asked you how I could buy more and you don't respond? Not cool.

**Speaking of grrr- what was up with that literal monstrosity that Aretha Franklin was wearing at the Rock Center tree lighting ceremony? Besides being hideously ugly, the mere sight of her wrapped up in hundreds of our animal friends was ridiculously more offensive than the Adam Lambert smooch and Janet Jackson's boob flash combined.

Bargain Alert: Pucci

Just got a $695 canvas Pucci tote for $63 from Loehmann's. I know it's probably accidentally vegan, but I appreciate it's availability anyway and that there's no sneaky leather lurking anywhere as "luxe" decoration (Are you listening, Lacoste?).

Also got a $330 Joseph Abboud suitcase for $60 from TJ Maxx. Very surprising how much luggage has leather trim. Thanks, JA, for omitting. I've also heard a rumor that they offer smaller men's accessories in "veg leather".