My roommate and I were talking a couple weeks ago and realized we hadn’t quite yet christened the apartment. Well, what better way to do that than with a Bake Fest and a couple glasses of white wine.
- Let the festivities begin!
Kim wanted to try baking her own loaf of Irish soda bread.
- She decided to sprinkle some lavender on top.
- And I decided to bake some lemon poppy-seed biscotti.
Now where’s the freakin’ wine?
- Oh! She’s got it!
Oh gosh, looking at some of these pictures is really making me laugh. So we realized we didn’t have a wine opener. We figured what better time to introduce ourselves to our neighbor, than when we needed a corkscrew. I feel bad that I can’t remember his name, but he was very friendly and kind of nervous.
- Attempt at opening the bottle… the wrong way!
- Using my phone to go on eHow.com
- Corny joke: RAISE THE ROOF!
- We’re making progress here!
- Success! And I accidentally flicked the camera off.
- A white wine we both like! Moscato D’Asti if you haven’t tried it yet!
Do you want to know what else we used the wine for?
- For dipping!
- I made this beautiful salad to go with the biscotti and wine.
I just used romaine, an Asian pear, dark grapes, gorgonzola, red onion, and honey mustard dressing. One of my favorite salads I’ve made! Those grapes looked a lot of black olives though (not an olive person). Thank goodness they were actually grapes!
- I think Kim’s first attempt at baking bread deserves some kind of awesome award, don’t you?
- Fro-yo at home! This is especially good with crumbled graham crackers and chocolate sprinkles on top.
Are you guys ready for more deliciousness? I’ve been anticipating this post, and I can’t wait to share this with you guys! Okay, okay so here goes.
A few weeks ago I received a really snazzy package in the mail from the people over at UliMana.
- Look at these fancy treats.
So what are these exactly? Ahem! I’m going to let them speak for themselves because I wouldn’t be able to say it any better.
“UliManaMana, or UliMana for short, was incorporated on July 13, 2005 (a very good day astrologically) and may very well be the first raw chocolate company ever! Our first product Nirvana Manna, now called Maca Manna, was inspired by David Wolfe’s book Naked Chocolate, and was first sold by Nature’s First Law, now Sunfood Nutrition, in October 2005. It wasn’t long after that when our five other products: Cacaoliente!, Chocolate Chai, Cacao Menta, Cacao Kava and Goji Manna were born, one after the other. (We couldn’t help it! Our creative juices were flowing, thanks to all the psychoactive ingredients in the cacao.) Everything made with organic chocolate (cacao) and other vegan, organic ingredients.
Most recently we created a line of raw, vegan, organic truffles that are basically sending the raw food community into Samadhi! (it’s a yoga word that means Enlightenment or Bliss) Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little. They are really delicious and selling like crazy. It’s just hard to believe they’re good for you too! So praise the Cacao God, David Wolfe, and UliMana for these luscious, healthy, mood elevating vegan treats!”
If you guys really enjoy chocolate then you will absolutely love these! I’m not kidding folks. I’m not even that crazy about chocolate, but I would recommend these to anyone and everyone. You know what? Actually, maybe after trying these I’ve become an UliMana chocolate-freak, chocoholic, fiend… what have you.
- Part of my complete breakfast!
- This sweet hazelnut crisp wants to party too!
This was the Peppermint truffle made with Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Agave, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Peppermint Essential Oil, Organic Vanilla Beans, and Celtic Sea Salt. No skimping on flavor with this truffle! I can only imagine what the others taste like – hello coconut truffles!
- This was a lovely combination of dark chocolate, dried apricot, and a walnut.
This sounds like something you guys could turn into a delicious bowl of oats!
- I believe this was something made with dates.
- My favorite: the Chia Moon Drop!
This one has chia seed power! So what goes in these adorable drops? Organic Dates, Organic Cashews, Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Shreds, Organic Agave, Organic Vanilla Beans, and Celtic Sea Salt.
And last but not least…
- One of their raw chocolate hemp brownies.
Oh wow! This was the boldest of the bunch – incredibly rich and bittersweet. In a good way… in a very good way.
“A perfect combination of hemp and cacao powder and sweetened with just the right amount of agave, these brownies are completely satisfying, a good source of protein, uplifting and energizing.”
On top of them making delicious treats, they also encourage more organic, sustainable farming and support fair trade by donating 5% of their profits to CRF, Oxfam, and Mercy Corps. I encourage you all to check out their website and check out their products and all the interesting information they have about their ingredients and ethics. Thanks for UliMana for caring and making such mouth-watering chocolates!
p.s. I’ll be updating my recipe page soon, and it will include my latest recipes from myself and other sources. So keep an eye on that page! Oh! I’ve also added a search bar, so it will make it easier for you guys to find things on my blog.
p.s.s. Here’s a song, a little gift, I’d like you all to listen to. It’s from my favorite movie of all time, Amelie. If you haven’t watched it, I suggest you do. I pass it along to everyone and I’ve watched it countless times myself. There’s just something about it that really speaks to me, and it’s just beautiful to watch. Enjoy my dearests!
So much fun!! Love the salad, bread (Kim definitely rocked out her first time baking bread!!), and truffles – yum!
I love ‘Amelie,’ so thank you for the song!
Looks like you had a blast!
Nice song btw!
haha you are your roomie are offish the cutest chicks on earth.. wine + biscotti.. so classy!
ahahah Once Brittany and I were at the beach with no wine opener, and we pushed the cork in! It was hilaaaarious/super not classy
I have seen those little half moon delights at WF! Maybe it’s a diff brand but I have been dying to try them!!
And I can’t believe I have never seen Amelie… j’aime anything French and I even saw where part of it was filmed in Paris! I need to go watch it!
xoxooo
you guys are hilarious! i want to come bake with you
lemon poppyseed biscotti?? recipe please! i hope it is on that new recipe page you mentioned in the post scripts. is that what PS stands for? i hope so or i am a tool.
All that chocolate.. yum!!
And I’m still jealous of that lavender.. I’m on the hunt! I wonder if I could just go pick some off of the bushes outside?
just kidding! But I may have to if I keep seeing all your delicious creations.. 
http://ajangel25.wordpress.com
What a perfect way to christen the new place. And I must try this biscotti dipped in wine because it sounds devine!
Oh, by the way, the peach bread is definitely not homemade. Well, not by me anyways, as I seriously lack any skills in baking. I got it from Wegmans (an awesome grocery store here). They make some of the best breads and muffins so whenever I see something good, I have no trouble buying it there.
amelie is MY favorite movie. just another reason why we are meant to be friends.
you and kimmy poo are adorable! love the baking/wine extravaganza – that sounds like a most lovely night my dear.
and those chocolate look to die for! gotta run – my banana bread in the oven is ready. lots of love and fun to you this labor day
Haha, I’m glad you finally opened the wine! Yann Tiersen is amazing– he’s surely made life more beautiful to me.
Yay for Kim’s first bread! Looking good! Say ‘hi’ to her for me. I love a bread lover.
Amelie is my fave movie! I remember watching it years ago at my university theatre. After the movie, the audience gave it a standing ovation.
Also, will check out Murakami’s “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”. I keep forgetting to look for that.
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your blog is visual pleasure. your in my bookmarks.
please save me and share the soda bread recipee with me! i really want to make some soon. i loved soda bread when i was in london and haven’t had any since then.
hdl mausi
xx
Thank you for your comment!
That it so yummy!!!!!!!
Olga xoxo
Look at that gorgeous salad. And all those raw/vegan treats!!!! I’m so down for the chia moon drops and some vegan truffles! Mmmmmm.
Glad you and the roomie had fun, gotta have a wine night in the apartment sometime! It’s a must!
I love Edy’s!