vegetalion's Profile

Ohhhh my goodness, yes. We're vegan at our house, and because companies don't have to label how their wines are fined (while some finngs agents are vegan, others--isinglass, gelatin, casein, egg whites--are not), it can be really tricky to find wines we can drink.

(Also, I am allergic to casein, and while companies say that none is left in the wine, before I went vegan and stopped drinking non-vegan wine I had allergic reactions only to find out later that it was because of the wine I drank.)

Labeling helps everyone!

@Babyfishmouth, I'm not sure if you're kidding or not, but yes, there are vegans with nut allergies. I know some! I also know vegans with soy allergies, several vegans who are gluten intolerant, and I'm vegan but allergic to nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers).

As someone with weird food allergies, I'm often really hesitant to attend friends' dinners, and usually offer to eat beforehand or bring something (in lieu of risking being poisoned accidentally). Hosts, please don't take offense when people say they'll eat beforehand or bring their own food--we just want to be sure we're eating safely!

Callebaut! It's expensive, but their chocolate chips are made of high-quality chocolate that's also gluten and dairy free.

For those of us who are a litttttle too lazy to make it, Justin's Nut Butter makes a natural, dairy-free, less-sweet-than-Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. I love it.

I bought matcha specifically to make these cupcakes. I wish I'd seen the jasmine kind--jasmine is my favorite tea!

I've also seen several recipes for green tea biscotti; google to find one you think looks good.

As a serious reader who's had to move a fair share of times (and always lived in small spaces), I have a very strict policy: I do not keep books I am not going to read more than once. This still results in owning a lot of books, but whenever I finish a new book, it makes the decision to keep it very easy: will I read this again? No? Donate.

I went to New Orleans for my honeymoon this past October, and I want to go every October now! It was wonderful! No big crowds anywhere, but still bustling and exciting... and the weather was fantastic! (They were having an unusual cold snap, which meant 50s and 60s, but since I live in Boston, where there was a huge snowstorm that weekend, it was practically tropical!)

@charlie26 I'd always heard that putting hot food in the fridge right away is more dangerous, since it can raise the temperature of the contents of the fridge (if not the entire fridge, then at least the foods around the hot stuff), which causes more bacteria to grow/breed on all those foods.

I never thought about the name before... I guess it doesn't bother me. I clicked in because while I've never used the cooking twine, I use a bunch of other products by them, and I've been impressed with the quality. (Although I wish they also made cute/patterned muffin liners; my baked goods always look so homespun in brown ones...)

Even when I AM with family, I try to go for a run in the morning. It not only helps with the guilt about consuming more than usual, but helps me destress before a long day of dealing with a big crowd of people.

I have a friend who arranges an "orphan's Thanksgiving" every year. It's potluck-style to allow for an ever-fluctuating number of guests: he provides a turkey, gravy, and a side or two, then everyone brings an additional side and/or dessert. Attendance has varied from year to year, but it's always been a great success.