You, me and several pints of something SO Delicious....

I'm in bed on the cusp of some kind of illness, when the blog police (my sister) knock on my facebook wall and let me know that it has been far too long since I've updated my blog. She's right, as per usual.

That's fine because tonight we get to talk about ice cream. Now, I don't need to tell you that its summer and that there's a season for ice cream. We'll just skip to the part where I tell you why So Delicious ice cream is pretty great. But don't just take my word for it! I'm bringing in another ice cream expert (my boyfriend, Aaron) to give you the scoop (tehe) on the goods in my freezer. This is important because he really likes the flavors of ice cream that I'm generally not so fond of and I want to make sure this isn't totally bias. Also, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Meet Aaron, he's also a carrot cake expert.

Here's what the fine folks at So Delicious sent to me...

Cookie Dough, Mint chip, Butter Pecan, Vanilla Bean, and Cookies and Cream.

My Favorite Pint 
My favorite of the pints was the Coconut Milk - Cookies 'N Cream. Don't get me wrong, I love coconut milk but when you're not expecting a flavor of ice cream to taste like coconut milk, it's a tiny bit distracting. I felt like this was one of the flavors that tasted the closest to what I had anticipated. Also, there is huge chunks of chocolate cookies in it! I'm not highly concerned with things being gluten free. In fact, it's fair to say that I whole-entire-heartedly love gluten. However, if you are concerned with gluten, you'll be stoked to know that the Cookies N' Cream pint is gluten free!

Aaron's Favorite Pint (I'm passing the computer to him. His words, not mine...)
Hi, nugans. Welp, I guess this is the first of what will hopefully be many cameos on this blog. So I and my tongue are gonna try not to screw this up too badly. (This is the first time I've blogged. Ever.)
I'm slappin' my seal of approval on the Butter Pecan. Which is weird, 'cause that's not ordinarily my bag. Not even close. But the thing is, they really nailed it with that flavor. It seems the thing with non-dairy ice creams is that whatever milk substitute they're using tends to dominate the flavor landscape. In the case of coconut milk-based deals like these, that's not a bummer -- far from it. Let's call it a mild distraction. But here, the intense richness of the butter/caramel/brickle/whateverthehellyoucallit was very much in gear and the pecans were seriously amongst. That stuff is gud.

Honorable mention goes to the Mint Chip. The green stuff used to be my go-to as a kid, back in the days before I got hooked on the hard stuff (chocolate chip cookie dough, for the uninitiated among you.) This Mint Chip is white. Not green. It's different from my old fix in a lot of ways, actually. It's not super creamy like you'd expect dairy ice cream to be. It's lighter. More refreshing. You taste the coconut milk clearly, but you welcome the flavor because it plays so nicely with the mint and the abundant chocolate chips (which they also got right here). It's a nice, slightly-less-sweet-than-you-were-expecting, almost tropical dessert experience.

...Back to Sam:
Holy Hell!!! Vanilla Bean is SO much better when you make it with coconut milk! I would put this on everything! Cake... pie...waffles..... sandwiches, it's gold! I used to make fun of my friends who would order vanilla bean when we went out for ice cream, in the past. You know, because it's obviously the boring choice. However, this would probably be my go-to if they didn't have Cookies N' Cream on the table.

So Delicious also sent me a box of Mini Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream Bars. Admittedly, these were the first things we tried because we were running out the door for a band rehearsal when the box arrived. We figured they would be great for breakfast, since we hadn't had any yet.

**PRO-TIP: Stirring your mini coconut milk chocolate ice cream bar in your coffee will be the best thing you've done all morning, trust me.

Fun Facts about So Delicious:
If coconut milk isn't your thing, don't sweat it! So Delicious makes awesome ice cream and yogurt flavors out of their other kinds of non-dairy milks too!  They also make yogurts (and a GREEK YOGURT!) which I will write about later when I have a few different kinds to test out!
Trying to keep sugar out of your diet? No problem! They have ice cream sweetened with monk fruit. Yes, that's a thing. It is usually extremely low-zero calories. It looks a lot like an apple on the outside and it is native to southern China and northern Thailand. Ice cream and yogurt aside, this company makes loads of dairy-free products! Check out the rest at So Delicious!

One more thing,
I'm pretty sure Aaron forgot to mention the fact that he pretty much ate all of the Cookie Dough ice cream before I could even get to it. It's fair to say that he really really enjoyed that one too.

Thanks to So Delicious for not only sending us all this ice cream to try out but for being so great to speak with via email! (I'm talking to you, Hillary!)

The sad truth about your guitar strap...

In case it wasn't mentioned before, I'm a musician. I play guitar and I sing (just like every other asshole in Seattle, but maybe a little better than you're average Joe). I usually play acoustic guitar but that was mostly due to the fact that I moved around a lot and couldn't keep a band together. Now that I'm established in Seattle, I'm picking up my electric guitar again and starting to write the kind of music that I always wanted to write. It's really exciting because I never wanted to just be a singer-songwriter.

...I wanted to be a mother fucking powerhouse.

Anyway, today I picked up my guitar and realized that I needed a new strap. While I was wandering around the music store, it occurred to me that all the straps were either entirely made of leather or they were partially leather. BETCHA DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT, DID YA?!

Never fear, my friends! Vegan guitar straps do exist!!

While these companies are not entirely cruelty free, they do have vegan friendly options. Here's a few worth looking into:

Couch - Meh, there's a lot to chose from

Souldier - **This is my favorite. Custom design one for a pretty decent price, actually.

Splaff - Rubber Straps (If you're into that kind of thing...)

If none of those are fancy enough for you, get crazy and make your own with one of THESE THINGS!

Carry on...

p.s. In case you were wondering, this is my music.  www.sammywitness.com 
And since you're here, here's some free downloads!

Blog Police

My baby sister just sent me a .gif of Nicki Minaj wagging her finger at me for recent lack of blog posts. She's not the first person to tell me to post this week but when Nicki Minaj wags her finger at you, you cower in fear. That or you rap battle her and you lose. Rightfully so, my sister is the blog police. She has her own kick-ass blog about how to live with Dysautonomia and POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) called Let's Feel Better (Check it out!).

I have a hard time remembering to do anything on a weekly basis, none the less on a daily basis. BUT, I'm committed to this. So, here's what's been going on....


My mom came into town last week! I haven't seen her in my neck of the woods for about 4-5 years. I live out in Seattle and since it's easier for me to come out there with my work schedule, I usually have to go out to Florida to see her.

She was really enthusiastic about trying the vegan foods that we had out here and we had some incredible meals in the last week. The fourth of July was especially awesome. I really thought my stepdad was going to insist on grilling up some fish or meat but since he's an orthodox jew and I'm respectful of his kosher household, he was pretty understanding about eating vegan at my place. Which is a relief because I'm still not over my love for seafood.

We ended up going to our local co-op and picking up a bunch of different vegan hot dogs. I found a recipe for Mexican Street Corn and whipped that up too by replacing the spicy cream sauce with a combination of vegan mayo and sriracha. A few friends of mine came over and were pretty determined to make takoyaki, so they whipped up a vegan version for us. It probably lasted 20 seconds. I couldn't even really take a photo of it, it was gone so fast. But if you're like me and you love takoyaki, it can be done and it is amazing! (In case you were wondering, we ditched the fish flakes, subbed the mayo for vegan mayo, and subbed the octopus for vegan sausage...because that's all we had to use. I'm sure there's a better replacement for the fish, we just didn't have anything.)

Right after my mom left, I was feeling a little heavy from all that food....
Maybe I'm eating too much soy?
I decided to switch to fruits and veggies for a few days to see if I feel any better. My weight never really fluctuates but lately, I'm gaining a pound or two. We'll see how it pans out.

It doesn't help that the very nice people at So Delicious just sent me a big package of ice cream for me to sample! (By the way, that is a FABULOUS freaking package to receive in the mail, in the heat of July!) Alas, my quest for a good vegan yogurt must continue!

I'll let you know what all that deliciousness is about, in a few days!

But tonight, we're eating raw!
I did my first attempt at making cashew cheese, which was really simple! It's also the best thing ever.
I threw in a bunch of rosemary from my garden and I'm going to make stuffed portobello mushrooms with it. I found a great recipe at RawMazing.com. Check it out!