Bother.

Fuss and bother to be specific. Busy, busy me. Trying to do work and do play and do all the things I mean to do but never do (like mopping the kitchen floor…ugh). And now another weekend past and another floor not cleaned and…oh well. Life is too short, right? What’s the point of having a floor you can eat off when you have plates and a table? The plates are clean. The table is clean..well, clean enough.

So, like I said, I have tried a number of things lately that I would like to recommend. There’s nothing in it for me BUT I do know that many times I have looked at something and thought…hmmm, I wonder if that is any good…and with no references or referrals I felt adrift. At the moment most of my recommendations are food…well…ok, not all of them. And most of YOU will not be interested, but you might be and that’s enough for me.

Vegan Pizza at Whole Foods: The Whole Foods near my office has a pizza bar. On any given day they have for or five pizzas for sale by the pound. It’s all thin crust and brick oven-y and I do love pizza, but I don’t always love cheese. It’s a tricky situation. A few weeks ago (that’s how long this little note has been in my bag!) I got up the nerve to try their vegan pizza and it was…good. Really good. Really, really good. I don’t know what their toppings were though. The ingredients listed Veganaise, which seems odd but I think forms the base for the creamy topping…OK I know that “creamy topping” not only sounds un-vegan it also sounds unappealing, but this was good. It also had a lot of roasted garlic and some sort of faux chicken. TVP style, not seitan. If you are vegan and you see it, I’m thinking it’s not a bad bet. If you aren’t vegan but you’re curious, I have to say I really liked it, get a small piece. If the thought of Veganaise and TVP freak you out, try the BBQ chicken, which is also good but not nearly as surpisingly good.

Veggie Riblets by Gardenburger- One of the big problems that non-vegans seem to have with vegan food is the belief that faux meats should taste like real meat. They don’t. Period. Now for me, and for most vegans, that’s a good thing. These veggie ribs are good. They don’t taste like meat and they are good. That is not an oxymoron. And the sauce is lovely but sweet, so if sugar is an issue, think twice. But the texture is good, not mushy and the flavor is…clean. I highly recommend these if you already enjoy veggie burgers or what we call “smeat” (soy meat) in our house. They are low in fat, and are quite convienient. Four minutes in the microwave. I had them with some veggie soup for lunch but they would make a very good sandwich or would be nice with some salad and baked fries for dinner.

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops-I’ve actually been enjoying these for a while now. I originally read about them over at the Candy Blog and sought them out just to try the pomegranate flavor. They are lollipops, yes, but the flavors are so much more…flavorful than your average lolly. Are they good for you? No, they are still sugar on a stick but sometimes we all need a little sugar. Kids might be a little iffy on the strong flavors but I think adults will appreciate them just fine.

Liz Lovely Cowgirl Cookies-Sorry. I didn’t like these. If you need a vegan cookie, they may be ok but since I don’t NEED a vegan cookie, then these won’t make me switch over. I found them oily and flavorless. Sad. Bad cookies are sad. I know a lot of people DO like these so perhaps my cookie standards are too high. I say unless you are in dire need of a vegan cookie, don’t bother. WAIT! WAIT! I just read the website and they say that these cookies are kind of intended to be…well…undercooked, I guess. Now I am a confessed batter eater, I would much rather have a bowl of cookie dough than the cookie itself so…on that level…no, didn’t work. But now I am curious about their other cookies and would be willing to try another flavor. Don’t dismiss them out of hand, but take into account my feelings AND if you are not a fan of vegan baked goods…perhaps not for you.

We7 music-OK, I’ll be honest, it was the name “Peter Gabriel” that got me to look at this site. Then the words “free music”. I don’t quite know HOW I feel about it yet but it’s worth taking a look at. Ten seconds worth of ad? Not all that long. There are only a few artists on there at the moment as it’s still in early stages but pretty decent, respectable artists…we’ll see.

Daily Lit-Well, thanks to this I am finally reading a book that everyone else read in high school. Surprisingly, I am enjoying it immensely. I get a chunk of it every weekday and it’s a very manageable chunk at that. Excellent concept, good execution. Hey, anything that gets people to read gets high marks from me!


OK, so there are a few random recommendations for you. I don’t intentionally pimp for others but you know, sometimes I try something that I think is worth mentioning. See, it started with "fuss and bother" and it kind of ends with "I bothered with these, you might want to as well." See? Circle of life...no? No. OK. Fine.