How did I fill my Valentine's weekend? With all of my favorite things...most free or frugal-minded.
Free: a film from the library. A romantic comedy seemed fitting for this weekend.
Free: library books. I had a "blind date" with a book, a fun program at my library where you take a gift-wrapped book home. Don't like your date? Return it next time, no hard feelings.
My date, which came with a lollipop. I'll give my date a chance.
Frugal: splitting a dish. I split vegan pancakes with warm cinnamon-scented pears, $7.99, with my mom at the Rutherford Pancake House. Of course most frugal is eating at home.
Frugal: thrifting. I went to the C.A.T.S. Resale Shop, whose windows were adorned with hearts ($1 each), in honor of past and present companion animals who so fill our own hearts with love and happiness.
Free: cat socializing at the shop. I spent some quality time with my friend Dottie...
...and found Sylvester sneaking in one of my own favorite (and free) weekend pastimes: a nap.
Free: going to the park with the dog. I wondered if I was too old to go sledding?
Free: making a snow man. How about a baby one? I'm just the humble photographer, not the artist.
Frugal: not doing major gifts or eating at expensive places on Valentine's Day. "I love you" doesn't mean fancy jewelry, clutter gifts, gadgets or flowers for me and my sweetheart. We indulged in the sweetheart box from Sweet Avenue Bake Shop, four cupcakes, $16.
All yummy, and all vegan: Elysium Wine (chocolate wine cake) with blackberry frosting, spicy hot chocolate, red velvet cake, and pomegranate champagne. My non-vegan boyfriend loved them all, as did I.
Hope your Valentine's Day weekend was filled with people, animals, places and things you love and cherish. All days should be.
6 comments:
I am drooling over those cupcakes! Goodness gracious, they look great.
And I love your library's blind date idea. Fun stuff!
Mmmm, those cupcakes look yummy!
I love the blind date idea--that's hilarious! Love that the books come with lollipops. :-)
Those cupcakes look delicious. I've been craving cupcakes lately.
I love this--we're all drooling over the cupcakes! Do you have a vegan cupcake recipe you could share? What do you use in place of eggs? Or do you just buy them at this adorable shop? (I'll take the one with the rose on top, please and thank you.)
I love all of your things. I loooove cupcakes. I could eat them every day!
I’m glad I’m not the only cupcake enthusiast! Vegan or not, these are just amazing cupcakes. When a cupcake fix comes calling, Sweet Avenue answers.
Here are some resources:
Vegan Cupcake Recipes: http://www.vegancupcakerecipes.com/
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero. I library it for all my cookbooks.
Egg Replacements:
http://www.vegcooking.com/vegcooking-eggreplace.asp
I personally bake with Ener-G Egg Replacer available at health food stores and Whole Foods. Instead of dairy, I use plain soy milk.
It's great the library is coming up with fun ways to boost readership. Cate: I started A Prayer for Owen Meany today (from the library, of course). My blind date will have to wait for me. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks all for your comments!
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