Celebrate the season by checking out the holiday lighting display at GE's Nela Park

For me, the holiday season doesn't start at Thanksgiving.  Or on Black Friday.  The holidays start when General Electric holds its annual holiday lighting display at Nela Park. (1975 Noble Road, East Cleveland, OH 44112)

 

Every year the fine folks at General Electric put on an amazing holiday light display, featuring a replica of the White House's famous Christmas tree.  This year marks the 85th anniversary of the holiday light display.  Beginning tonight at dusk, portions of General Electric's Nela campus will feature an incredible amount of Christmas lights. Some years the display is better than others, but it's definitely worth a look. (my mother has worked at GE since the beginning of time, so I think I've seen nearly every display in my 28 years on this planet) You can view the display by driving past Nela Park, located on Noble Road in East Cleveland.  (just be sure to lock your doors if you're driving at night - it IS East Cleveland, after all)

All in all, this weekend looks to be holiday-tastic for me.  Besides checking out the lighting ceremony, I'm running in the Reindeer Run in Lakewood on Saturday.  (Please do your best anti-snow dance for me.) On Saturday night, I'm attending an ugly holiday sweater party.  (I don't care if Stuff White People Like says it's uncool.  I think it's totally fun.)  And then I hope to cap off the weekend with some holiday inspired gluttony.  (Melt, can you hear me calling?)

Do you have any holiday inspired plans this weekend?  I'd love to hear about them.

Making the best of a bad situation - Pizzazz Pizza - Mayfield Village

Despite my recent "vegan kick," I just can't seem to "quit" cheese.  I don't use cheese or most other dairy products in my own cooking, but sometimes when I'm out and about or when I get takeout, I'll eat a little bit of cheese.  Which is a great improvement over my eating habits from years past.  As a kid, I watched my dad eat blocks of cheddar cheese.  Yes, blocks.  I, myself could eat an entire bag of shredded cheese in a sitting.  (Hello, extra cheesy and burned microwave quesadillas.)  If I ever find a good non-dairy cheese substitute, I may become an addict again. 

But what does this have to do with Pizzazz Pizza in Mayfield Village, you ask?

I consider Pizzazz Pizza to be one of the best places to indulge in cheesy gluttony.  Second only to Melt.  If you order a salad, you might need to ask for extra lettuce if you want anything besides three pounds of cheese and a half gallon of dressing.  Calzones?  You could stretch the cheese from one gooey slice across the restaurant I think.  Which is why I occassionally indulge in the aforementioned items.  (although I do ask for less cheese - do you know how long it rakes to "run off" that much cheese?)

Recently, I had a not so great day and decided to get a take out order From Pizzazz.  I anticipated biting into a mushroom, cheese, spinach and fresh garlic calzone for hours before I picked up my order.  But when I got home and opened the pizza box, ready to devour the entire calzone, I discovered that it was overflowing with chicken.  As a vegetarian, this was clearly a problem.  So I called the restaurant to let them know I received the wrong meal.  Having dealth with many unsympathetic restaurants in the past ("just pick it off"), I didn't have high hopes for anything besides hunger and frustration.  But shame on me for thinking that way.  When I called, the manager immediately got on the phone and was totally, sincerely apologetic.  She said that they'd make my "right" order ASAP and that they'd deliver it to my house - an incredible feat from a restaurant that doesn't offer delivery.  In less than 15 minutes, a Pizzazz Pizza worker was at my door with my delicious calzone and a coupon that said "we're sorry for our mistake - please take $8 off your next meal."  Pretty awesome right?  I would have been happy to just get the correct food.  Even if I had to go get it myself.  But for the manager to go the extra mile and send someone to my house with my food with a coupon in hand?  I'm a customer for life.  Really.  This is the way a restaurant should handle a mistake.  I mean, we all know that mistakes are bound to happen, but it's how a restaurant deals with an issue that defines the service level and my willingness to go back.

Have you ever encountered any great "fixes" after a food snafu after a restaurant? 

The most wonderful time of the year - mighty macaroni melt returns to Melt

Ah, December.  Where has this year gone? 

Some people look forward to December for Christmas or Hanukkah festivities.  Or even New Years celebrations.

Not me.

I'm excited about the sandwich of the month at Melt - the mighty macaroni melt.  Have you ever eaten a patty on a sandwich made out of delicious herbed, bread-crumbed macaroni and cheese?  I hadn't either until last year.  It's probably a vegan or lactose intolerant person's nightmare, but it's literally the best sandwich I've ever eaten in my life.  I've been counting down the months just so I could have another taste of this gluttonous goodness.  And maybe, if I'm lucky, this delectable sandwich could become a staple on the menu.  Starting tomorrow, December 2, you can visit Melt's website to vote on which of this year's monthly special's you'd like to see added to the menu.  My obvious pick is the macaroni melt...but there were so many other awesome specials!  How does a person choose just one?

What's your favorite Melt sandwich?  Do you desperately wait for your favorite to be a monthly special or am I alone in this?

What will Santa be bringing you this year?

Ah, commercialism.  That's what seems to rule the holidays these days.  I've never been a fan of "forced" holiday giving.  Just because you happen to be related to me by blood or a common-law relationships doesn't mean you deserve a gift.  In fact, I'd dare say that the majority of people in my life who should get a holiday gift, based on traditional gift giving standards, just aren't worthy.  I know that sounds a bit harsh.  I do love buying presents for the people who mean something to me, but I don't like the idea that someone should feel obligated to buy a gift for someone else.  I like buying gifts that mean something or could be considered useful by someone - not just something random I spotted in the mall.

This holiday season, I plan on only buying for those nearest and dearest to me and also trying to buy local whenever possible.  If you're in the spirit for some local shopping, here are my suggestions for greal local gift giving ideas.

1. A gift certificate to Melt.  I don't think I could be friends with someone if they didn't like Melt.  Heck, even my mom loves Melt.  Note that this gift wouldn't be appropriate for anyone not willing to wait for good grub.

2. A C.L.E. Clothing Co. t-shirt.  They come in both mens and womens sizes and feature fun, Cleveland-related images and slogans. 

3. Any number of cool things from Room Service. This cool Gordon Square Arts District boutique features all kinds of gifts - from jewelery to artwork.  

4. A gift certificate to Capitol Theater.  It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to renovate this theater.  Why not see a movie in something other than your local mega-plex.

5. The Cleveland Independents Deck. This deck of playing cards features 52 $10 gift certificates to independently owned Cleveland restaurants.  I'm no mathematician, but the deck costs $30, and you get $520 in discounts...if you eat out a lot and like to support local restaurants, this is a phenomenal deal!

These are just the first 5 ideas that come to my mind.  What are your suggestions for local gift giving?

P.S. If you want to go shopping this weekend but want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the malls, check out the east side version of the Bazaar Bizarre, an indie craft fair.  If you can't make it to the east side version being held today, November 27, and tomorrow, November 28, there's a west side version being held December 12-13. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll

I used to get sad on Thanksgiving.  It's not exactly the most vegetarian friendly holiday.  But, I've come to focus on the positives of Thanksgiving (togetherness, the opportunity to let meat-a-tarian people eat delicious vegan and vegetarian food, forcing myself to learn how to cook outside of my microwave comfort zone) and not the negatives (mass turkey murders). 

This year my boyfriend and I are hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  (After I run in the Turkey Trot - what better way to prepare for a feast than with a 5 mile run in normally inclement weather!)  You couldn't pay me to cook a turkey, so my boyfriend (who can out cook me any day of the week) will be preparing that while I make the majority of sides and desserts.  I set out on a mission a few months back to 1. cook more often and 2. learn how to make some healthier fare.  So...my contributions to this year's Thanksgiving dinner (our first dinner on a grown up dining room table - woo!) will be all vegan.  I know...a little risky...but I've done plenty of "trial runs" on the dishes I plan on making, so hopefully my boyfriend and his family won't be disappointed. 

Here's my menu:

Appetizers:

Vegan cheeze ball and crackers (I haven't actually made this before - I hope it doesn't stink)

Veggies and dip

Sides:

Butternut squash pasta bake

Smashed Potatoes (no peeling + nutrient rich potato skins = WIN)

Salad (with dressing from Pizzazz - did you know you can buy it by the pint?)

Roasted garlic cauliflower (I'm using purple cauliflower!)

Arrowhead Mills chestnuts and sage stuffing (minus the meaty stuff and using vegan ingredients)

Dessert:

Tofu pumpkin pie 

Peanut butter pillows

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

I generally end up making more than I plan on, so I might thrown in another veggie side or two (Brussels sprouts, anyone?) and another type of cookies. No matter what you end up eating tomorrow, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

What exactly does a marshmallow taste like anyway?

'Tis the season for Rice Krispie treats, hot cocoa with marshmallows, and sweet potatoes with a gooey, marshmallow-y topping.  But sadly for me, I've never gotten to enjoy any of those things because of the ingredients in marshmallows.  Namely, gelatin.  I think very few people realize that gelatin lurks in strange places or even know what gelatin is.  I remember getting into an argument with my middle school assistant principal over whether or not marshmallows were made out of "animals."  (Mr. Haluko, I'm still right.) Too bad those were the pre-internet days, because a quick Google search would have proved that I wasn't crazy.  At least not for that reason.

My recent vegan shopping excursions have allowed me to discover a plethora of vegan "fakes" meant to fool even the most discriminating meat eater, and Sweet & Sara's vegan marshmallows are no exception.

 

So, yeah.  I ordered more marshmallows that a person should ever probably eat from Sweet & Sara's. But can you blame me?  28+ years on this planet without getting to taste marshmallow-y goodness?  I ordered your standard vanilla marshmallow squares, marshmallow ghosts, and s'mores.  (What spurred this order was a failed attempt to buy vegan marshmallows at Whole Foods.  Surprisingly, they didn't have any!)

I honestly didn't know what to expect as I bit into a vanilla marshmallow.  I've smelled them for years and years and years, and they smell pretty good, but I didn't know what the taste would be like. 

My initial thoughts?   They taste squishy.  I didn't know it was possible for a food to taste squishy, but I honestly think I heard the marshmallow squeak on my teeth.  And that weirded me out a little bit.  The flavor was good and sugary, but not nearly as good as the non-marshmallow desserts I've been enjoying recently.  Even the s'more didn't live up to my expectations.  I generally like anything made with chocolate, but I just couldn't get past the weird texture of the marshmallow center.  

I had my meat-a-tarian boyfriend try my assorted goodies to get his thoughts.  He loves "real" marshmallows, so I wanted him to let me know if these fake could pass the test.  He affirmed that the vegan versions taste just like the real thing, so he loved them.  He even shared his s'more with his co-workers to let them see how a fake marshmallow could mimic a real one.  

 

Don't let my marshmallow apathy keep you from ordering Sweet & Sara's marshmallows.  If you're a vegetarian or vegan and like (or liked) marshmallows, you should give these vegan marshmallows a try.  Sweet & Sara just introduced a mini marshmallow line - just in time for the holidays and hot cocoa season!

Magical Coconut Bars

In preparation for the upcoming holiday, I've been cooking and baking up a storm.  I like to do "trial runs" ahead of time, especially when I'm using new recipes.  Like I am this year.  I think I'm only using one tried and true recipe - for smashed potatoes.  And if I were able to find a way to mess up smashed potatoes, I should be banished from the kitchen.

Since I love the combination of coconut and chocolate, I decided to make Magical Coconut Bars from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Jar.  (Follow the link to see the recipe.  I don't want to publish a recipe from this awesome book without permission.)

My results:

 

Not the most exciting photo, I know.  But I can tell you that people I work with raved about these bars.  As with all of the other vegan recipes I've been making lately, no one could tell they weren't "normal."  

I thought they were just ok.  I used light coconut milk in an attempt to make them less gluttonous, and I feel like it game them an odd flavor.  I also under-baked them accidentally because my oven hates me.  (Time to invest in an oven thermometer!) But...if you're looking for a dessert to make for an upcoming holiday, this is a great recipe.  It makes a heck of a lot of bars (24) and could feed a small army. 

I have a few more trials runs to complete this weekend...stuffing...vegan pumpkin pie cheesecake.  Good thing I'm running in the Pigskin Classic 5K tomorrow morning to at least burn off a few of the calories I'm going to pack on.