Saturday Morning: PLINC Totes, Green Bars, Birdy Pyrex, & SDRE

1) I would like to thank Food Feud for totally getting me hooked on these "Amazing Grass" Green Superfood Energy Bars. Seriously addicted. They don't give me that belly ache that most protein/energy bars give me and they are raw to boot! They sell them at Whole Foods, but I discovered they have another, but the exactly the same, variety at Trader Joe's for less.

2) As I have mentioned before, I am really obsessed with bags, totes, purses. It's probably the most girly thing about me. Mr. Scissors just brought these cool Photo Lettering Inc. bags back from a PLINC lecture he did with Mr. Ben Kiel for AIGA Philadelphia. Awesome Dudes from Philly does on demand silk screening at events and they printed these totes at the lecture.

And the event planner in me thinks that would be a really, um, awesome idea at a wedding instead of the usual wedding favors--have you guests create their own T or tote to take home! I digress... Oh and speaking of PLINC, check out their new high concept alphabet, Sodachrome. Plinc headlines are perfect and economical way for bloggers wanting to create a bangin' and unique banner for themselves without having to invest in a complete typeface.

3) Look at this cute Pyrex casserole I found. The funny thing is, I found the dish at Goodwill and then on the same day I found the lid at a Salvation Army. Serendipity! I think the pattern is called "Friendship." Look for it in the shop soon.

4) And playing while writing this post: "Guitar and Video Games" by Sunny Day Real Estate. It came up on a playlist of mine while I was at the gym yesterday and I have been listening to it insistently ever since then. They were a favorite band of mine in college and I was lucky to catch their reunion tour a few years ago. They were supposedly getting back together and releasing an album, but, hmmmm, looks like that never happened.

Thrifting Thursdays: Bless This House Cross Stitch & Recipe File

 

I don't know, I have a thing for cross stitch. Add the word vintage to it and I am all over it! I found this beauty at Goodwill and I am debating wether or not I want to keep it or put it in the Etsy shop. Those birdies just do it to me! Look how adorable they are. I think someone should get a traditional robin tattoo, but do it in cross stitch like this. Perfect.

I found lots of other cute stuff this week too, like a vintage 1980s dress that looks like it is straight out of a Scandinavian Anthropologie store, if there is such a thing, and an unused vintage yellow and green houndstooth pocketbook form the 60s. Oh, and the sweetest vintage 3T coat with a strawberry and daisy print on a blue background. That one is definitely going in the shop. My son is very happy with his 1980s Charlie Brown T-shirt I found at Sal's. He said, "Oh YES!" I also found some really awesome craft books. One that is perfect for father's day. Again, will be going in the shop. Speaking of the shop, I have been photographing lots and lots so hopefully some shop updates are going up soon. (Gawd, can I say shop one more time?)

Here's a cute recipe file I found. I was looking all over for one like this to hold my business cards/recipe cards when I did the cookie giveaway bonanza at Anthropologie and couldn't find one. Now I am finding them everywhere! Speaking of that event, I still have to post photos that the professional photographer took. They came out great. Maybe this weekend.

What about you? Anyone find anything cool? Or want to find something in particular?

Spice in the Kitchen: Quick Vegan Dinners with Gardein

Time is not something I have lots of lately, so cooking from scratch has not been an option this past week. Aha! Gardein to the rescue! The family and I enjoyed some mandarin orange stir fry and a very tasty and then a very satisfying chick'n and veggie parm (also known as chicky chicky parm parm in our house) sandwich the next night. Both dishes, including adding fresh veggies to both, took less than 20 minutes to make.

BTW: If you haven't entered Scissors & Spice's Gardein giveaway yet, head on over! Just leave a comment on that post telling everyone what your favorite Gardein product is or let us know which one you would like to try. There will be 3 lucky winners who will each win 2 Gardein entrees! Good luck! Contest ends on April 3.

Vintage Children's Books: Happy Origami

What a breathtaking book! Such a gem. For sale now on at Etsy in Modern Poetry's lovely shop. Thanks Elizabeth for the images!

"Happy Origami: The Japanese Art of Paper Folding," by Tatsuo Miyawaki, printed in Japan in 1960. Published by Biken-Sha of Hiroshima, Japan.

All photos property of Modern Poetry.

Giveaway: Fall in Love with Gardein! Contest Now Closed!

Giveaway: Fall in Love with Gardein! 3 Lucky readers will win!


The contest is now closed! Thanks everyone for entering; I loved reading all your comments! Congratulations to Amanda, Megan, and Ashley! You ladies each won 2 free meals courtesy of Gardein. Whoo-hoo!

You all know and love Gardein, well here is your chance to love them even more for FREE!

In case you are not familiar, Gardein is a lovely company from Canada that makes a great variety of delicious prepared vegan, plant-based meat alternatives. Their products are great for busy nights when making a dinner from scratch just isn't possible. My favorite is the crunchy "seven grain tenders" and during the holidays, the stuffed turkey breast! The "santa fe good stuff" is a filling and low calorie complete meal--and a favorite of Mr. Scissors--perfect for when you need a quick lunch won't weigh you down.

Gardein is sold everywhere now! Even Target carries a few varieties. Fortunately, plant based foods are becoming more and more popular and it's becoming even easier for vegans, vegetarians, and the veg-curious to find great products like Gardein in larger grocery stores.

Now, the best part is that you can win free packages of Gardein to try yourself! Three, yes THREE, lucky readers will each win two vouchers for your very own packages of Gardein to fall in love with! 


To enter the Gardein giveaway:


Visit Gardein's website and then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling everyone what Gardein entrees you want to fall in love with! 


Extra chances to win! Extra entries for each time you:


Like Gardein on Facebook and leave another comment on this post
Follow Gardein on Twitter and leave another comment on this post
Like Scissors & Spice on Facebook and leave another comment on this post
Follow Scissors & Spice on Twitter and leave another comment on this post
Retweet and/or post the contest on Facebook and leave additional comments on this post

Good luck everyone! The contest ends next Tuesday, April 3 at midnight ET. Open to residents of the USA and Canada.

I'm back!

I know I have not exactly been away, away and I was still posting a few times a week, but I'll back to blogging almost every day now. Unfortunately, I did not get much done with my shop like I hoped I would during my haitus. Chalk that up to grown up things like refinancing my house, exploring schooling options for my daughter, and Mr. Scissors traveling for bid-ness. Plus, I have two kids under 6, so there is only so much I can do. I've just always been an over-acheiver.

Though I'm not one for posting pictures of myself, I know sometimes it's nice to put a face to a blog! As we were running out the door to pick my hubs up from the aiport, I realized how colorful we were--such a change because I am normally one who prefers to wear blacks and neutrals. I love the blurry shot my daughter took of me; poor thing, my SLR camera is almost as big as she is! You can see I finally bought that Gap swing jacket. My daughter's boots are by Trumpette, jacket by Carter's and my son's jacket is from the Gap. He loves those big blue boots by Crocs that I bought at Goodwill for a few dollars. He likes to wear them and just undies as he runs around the house. Crazy kid.

So, here I am! Back to blogging! Thanks for sticking around! I've got a great giveaway for tomorrow (with more than one winner!), a review of the new Sticky Fingers cookbook, cool images from vintage children's books and a brussels sprouts recipe coming up this week!

Spice in the Kitchen: Freezing Tofu is Magic!

If you're still just using tofu straight out of the container, you're really missing out! Simply by freezing the tofu and then pressing it once it thaws, it changes that blah white blob into something superb!

Frozen, thawed, and pressed tofu process:

• Place tofu container, unopened, in freezer for at least 24 hours. The water freezing in the tofu expands and makes a gazillion tiny pockets in the tofu open up. (Tiny pockets = flavor receptacles!)
• Take frozen tofu out of freezer and let thaw in fridge; this may take up to two days. At this point, you can also leave it sitting in the fridge until you are ready to use it, so no need to use it right away. Just don't let it expire!
• Once it has thawed, press the water out of the tofu. The most effective way of doing this is by using a TofuXpress.

After this process, my favorite way of preparing the tofu is by baking and marinating it. Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with oil. Slice tofu to desired size and place on baking sheet. Spray tops with oil. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the tofu is browned and slightly crunchy. Remove from oven and toss with marinade. Return to sheet and bake for another 15-20 minutes. The tofu absorbs all the flavor of the marinade and is transformed into a delectable chewy and crunchy delight!

The tofu above was marinated in the Scissors & Spice Raw Almond Butter and Cherry dressing. Holy goodness. Give it a try!

Spice in the Kitchen: Braised Bacon & Kale with Mashed Cauliflower

This satisfying dinner is easy to whip up on a weekday night. A sweetheart of the low-carb set, mashed cauliflower is a lovely substitute for its starchy potato counterpart. Topped with kale and braised tempeh bacon, the dish is the ultimate in vegan comfort food.

Play with the recipe and adapt it to suit your own tastes.

Mashed Cauliflower Topped with Braised Smoky Tempeh Bacon & Kale Recipe (vegan)
serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, core removed, chopped into large chunks
• vegan margarine, milk, sour cream to taste
• 6+/- cups kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped
• 1 package of tempeh bacon chopped into pieces (My favorite is Lightlife's "Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips." The smoky flavor makes this dish!)
• olive oil
• garlic (or hing)
• Bragg's liquid aminos
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a sauce pan, steam cauliflower. When tender, drain water and return to pan. Mash with desired amount/combo of vegan margarine, milk, sour cream. Add plenty of salt and freshly crushed pepper.
2. In a large saute pan, add olive oil and add garlic, add chopped tempeh and fry until edges are crispy and sticking to the pan. Add freshly washed and finely chopped kale leaves to pan. The water left on the leaves will help loosen any bits of the tempeh bacon stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add salt, pepper and a few squirts of Bragg's and cover. Cook until the kale is soft. If need be, add some water if the mixture starts to stick.
3. To serve, top mashed cauliflower with kale and tempeh.

This Weekend: Beauty of Spring & New Things

Above: Antique flour barrel--great inspiration for a secondary Scissors & Spice logo. Amazing weekend with sunshine and temps in the 70s. Lots of salads at Whole Foods and a Hail Merry insanely good raw, vegan, gluten-free tart.

Friday Favorites: Whole Foods Glen Mills, PA! Hoo-ray!

Large windows grace the mod exterior

Handmade aprons for sale, large dining area with communal dining, hot/cold salad bar, interior
Lots of vegan baked options: Sticky Fingers whole cakes, Hail Merry tarts. Vegan bakery cakes, Vegan cookies

Veggies! (And I love how the store sign uses the font Neutraface by House Industries, Yorklyn, DE represent!)

Candle Cafe frozen entrees, vegan raviolis, American Flatbread vegan harvest pizza
Zukay raw dressings. Sweet Christine's gluten-free vegan cake, Eat Pastry Vegan cookie dough

Glen Mills Community Calendar

Friday Favorites: Whole Foods Glen Mills, PA!

When I lived in Boston, I had a Whole Foods right down the street from me. It was where my friends would gather and we'd all kvetch as we ate salads from compostable boxes that overstuffed with 20 lbs of marinated tofu, mixed greens, crunchy sesame sticks, and oddly, vegan chocolate pudding. Then I moved to Philadelphia, and though there was no Whole Foods directly near me, it was easy enough to get to.

Now, being out in the burbs in Delaware, with only small "nature food stores" to get my speciality supplies or having to make a 30+ mile trek to a Center City Philly Whole Foods, I have often longed for a nearby grocery store where I could 1) find lots of vegetarian speciality foods, 2) find lots of organic foods, 3) find natural bath products, and 4) find a place that acted as a community center. Shortly after I moved here, a Trader Joe's opened up not too far from me--and I was elated--finally a place for some alternative foods! But, darling TJ's is a little limited in its scope, but still great at what it does. Anywho, this is completely turning into a long, long, overly complicated story. Let me just get to the point already--I am so, so excited to tell you, after 12 years of being without a Whole Foods I could call my own, I finally have one! Though it is not in Delaware, it is right over the border in neighboring Glen Mills, PA.

And let me tell you, it's theeee nicest Whole Foods in the Philly area! I'm so excited! Though it is smaller than the Plymouth Meeting store, it feels bigger. They've got a great selection of produce, vegetarian/vegan speciality foods, a huge hot bar, a ginormous bakery, a large cafeteria with communal dining and if you're into craft beer or mocha lattes (Vegans: for milky coffees, they carry rice milk in addition to soy and will hopefully get coconut milk too? please?), a little in-store pub/coffee shop.

True to the traditional Whole Foods community involvement, there is already a calendar of events and classes up for their first month. And look! Doran Petersan from Sticky Fingers (maker of the best vegan chocolate chip cookies I ever had!) will be there on April 5 doing a meet and greet! How fun! Who wants to go with me?

Judging by how crowded the store was and how packed the parking lot was, the rest of the area is as excited I am. Welcome and congratulations Whole Foods Glen Mills!

Whole Foods Market, Glen Mills
475 Wilmington/West Chester Pike (Route 202)
Glen Mills, PA 19342
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/glenmills/
_________________________________________________________________________


Added: I just saw on their printed calendar that Christina Pirello from Christina Cooks will doing an in-store appearance on March 30 from 6-7 pm! Awesome!

Bye Little Guys...

There are just some things that I am sad to see leave my Etsy shop, and this little vintage (circa 1950s) nesting set of kokeshis were such an item. Though I am happy they will have a new loving home, I am quite sad to see them go. *sniffle* *sniffle* Bon voyage my darlings!

Spice in the Kitchen: Cherry Almond Salad Dressing Recipe

This is such a great salad dressing; it is tart, savory and sweet! Serve it over mellow flavored baby spinach topped with chickpeas and dried cherries. If you leave the dressing on the thicker side, it doubles as a delicious sandwich spread that pairs perfectly with your favorite cream cheese!

Cherry Almond Salad Dressing Recipe (vegan, gluten-free)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raw almond butter
• 1/4 cup dried cherries (I like the Montmorency cherries from Trader Joe's.)
• 1/2 cup OJ
• garlic to your taste (or hing)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• water

Directions
Add all ingredients to a blender or small food processor and blend until smooth. If too thick for your tastes, add a touch or water or more OJ to thin it out.

Q: What's your favorite brand of vegan cream cheese?

This Weekend: Cleaning and Roller Skating

Saturday, cleaning and organizing the house for our house appraisal. I finally got all my Etsy shop stock in one place and semi-organized. I have maybe 2 months of work ahead of me. It is amazing how much time it takes photograph, upload and describe each item. Hopefully I can list a good chunk out of the stock while I am taking a little bit of a step back from the blog for a bit.

Sunday, roller skating! I practically grew up at Hot Wheels in New Bedford, MA (I wonder if it still exists!) and I still love going to a stinky roller skating rink for a couple of laps. I can't wait until the kids are old enough to be able to skate along with me and Mr. Scissors.

A Much Needed Blogation

There's a ton going on right now, so I'm going a bit of a blogation for a week or two. I'll still be around, just won't be posting every day. On Sundays, I'm going to automate a few posts for the week so it won't be overly quite at Scissors and Spice.

In the meantime, I'm going to concentrate efforts on stocking the shop. I have so much great stuff for you all and only about 5% of it is actually listed. Got to get on that before they call me to star in an episode of Hoarders!

Please keep checking the shop to see what I've been up to or stay in touch through Facebook and Twitter.

Thrifting Thursdays: The Hague, Rainbows, & Ginormous Pyrex Bowl

Even though this week has been a bit crazy, tons going on, sick little babies to take care of, house refinancing, etc., I did manage to squeeze in a morning of "treasure hunting." Here are some of my favorite finds from this week.


1) The Hague vintage drinking glass (also came with a Barcelona one).
2) Ardencraft rainbow sunshine pitcher. Matches the bowls in the Scissors and Spice Etsy shop!
3) Extra large pristine vintage Pyrex bowl with handles.

Vintage Children's Books: Golden Books Dictionary

Another colorful gem from my collection of vintage children's books. A little something for everyone, from teachers to baton twirlers and from vegetarians to vintage clothes lovers. Additional and larger images available on the Scissors and Spice Flikr stream.

Images from "The Golden Picture Dictionary; More than 800 Words for the Beginning Reader" by Lillian Moore. Illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush. Published by Golden Press, New York, 1954.

Spice in the Kitchen: Almond, Orange & Mustard Quinoa Salad

I read somewhere about how you should combine certain foods to unlock their nutritional potential; was it chickpeas and citrus, or wait was it chickpeas and spinach, wait, hmmm... something like that. I know it had chickpeas, so it was something with them. Anyway, I DO know that the iron in spinach is better absorbed when you add vitamin C to it in someway. Regardless, all these thoughts got me to thinking that all these things would work just great together in a flavor profile sort of way. Even my "meat" and potatoes veggie husband thought this dish was scrumptious.

Quinoa Salad with Almond, Orange & Mustard Dressing Recipe (vegan, gluten-free, raw-ish)
Serves about 4

Ingredients


Dressing

• 4 TB raw almond butter
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2-1 tsp hot sauce
• Salt & freshly crushed pepper to taste
• 1/2 TB tamari
• 2 TB mustard
• 1 TB apple cinder vinegar

Salad

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• salt to taste
• 15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 red pepper, chopped into pieces
• Baby spinach (about 2-3 cups per person)
• Toppings of choice such as: raisins, almonds, pepitas, mandarin oranges, cranberries, etc.

Directions

1. In a blender or small food processor, blend all dressing ingredients together until smooth. Add a dash of water if too thick to blend properly.
2. Boil water, quinoa and salt. Cover, reduce and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. When quinoa is done, let it cool and then add dressing and chopped red peppers.
4. To serve, plate the baby spinach and top with quinoa mixture. Add toppings of choice.

How To: Make a Quick & Easy Vegan Gluten-free Dinner

I've bean (ha, ha, get it?) craving tostadas ever since Mr. Scissors and I went out on a date on Saturday night. Since I try to eat as dairy-and-gluten-free as possible, and am always super pressed for time, I'm constantly searching for ideas that not only venture beyond simply a combo/variation of veggies but are also easy to prepare. Luckily, veg tostatas fit that multiple bill quite nicely. They are so super simple, you don't even need a real recipe because you can tailor them to suit your needs and tastes.

How To: Make a Quick & Easy Vegan Gluten-free Dinner
Vegan Baked Tostada Recipe

• First thing is first, preheat your oven to 425. Normally with tostadas, the corn tortillas are fried, but I baked mine to keep them low-fat.
• Gather ingredients: corn tortillas, spray oil, tomatoes, lettuce, refried beans (I love Bearitos Fat Free Black Bean Refired Beans!), Daiya, vegan sour cream and any other things you would like to add like avocados, salsa, jalapenos, etc.
• Line a cookie sheet with foil. Lightly spray tortillas on both sides and place on sheet. Place in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip with tongs half way through baking.
• While the tortillas are baking chop your veggies.
• When tortillas are crispy and golden, remove from oven and spread about 1/4 cup of refried beans on top. Sprinkle cheese over beans and place tortillas back in oven for about one minute until the cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and top with sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and any other toppings. Easy! You're done! Took you only about 20 minutes. Yay!

This Weekend: Viva la Date Night!

Cheers to local color! Burritos, bowling and punk capped off with a little SNL.