101 Chocolate Vegan Recipes by Sam Kuma

Rating: 8 out of 10

When I saw the title of this cookbook, I was excited. Although I don't personally identify as vegan, I do avoid dairy because it doesn't sit well with me (to put it nicely). And nearly every chocolate recipe has milk in it, or some form of dairy. I've even seen sour cream! Well, of course I can go buy vegan sour cream or milk and try to substitute, but it doesn't always work out. Sometimes, soy milk is NOT the same as milk! They just don't always behave the same, and it really depends on the recipe.

When I find vegan dessert recipes, they are often not chocolate. I do love chocolate, and I don't see anything wrong with eating it now and again. But I prefer to have less sugar, and of course, no dairy. It doesn't seem like that much to ask, but it can be very difficult to find. 

The first recipe I chose to review was the first recipe in the book: Chocolate Chia Smoothie Pudding. I have never heard of anything referred to as a smoothie pudding, and I was intrigued. The recipe described it as being similar to an ice-cream shake, and I think that's a good description. I should tell you that my husband and I are not fans of chia seeds, even though we know they are healthy for us. I have to say that this is a great way to get them into your diet if you are looking to -- they aren't noticeable at all in the smoothie. I didn't care too much for having this served over ice cubes (made from almond milk) but it just didn't seem to go with the texture. I may make this again, and skip the ice cube scenario. I found this to be very good, but it was so thick. On the plus side, it was very filling!

The second recipe I made from this cookbook was #22: Three Ingredient Brownies. I was extremely skeptical of this recipe. The three ingredients are bananas, almond butter, and cocoa powder. I was pretty sure that there was no possibility of those three ingredients turning into a brownie! Well, I was both right and wrong. I made the puree in the food processor, and then prepared to bake it. The recipe just called for a "baking pan," so I wasn't sure what to do! I used a 9x9 glass baking pan, and it seemed to be the correct size. While I was transferring the mix, I did try a little bit off of the scraper and it was amazing. I thought if nothing else, we could just eat it uncooked! The other part of this recipe that wasn't quite correct was the timing. We had to cook it for at least 5 minutes longer before it set. But it did set! I was quite surprised. I mean, I wouldn't quite call this a "brownie," but it was very delicious. It actually reminded me of a no-bake recipe: very smooth and creamy. I would definitely make these again.

 I'm looking forward to trying more recipes from this cookbook, especially Thin Chocolate Crepes, Vegan Chocolate Waffles (it has been VERY difficult for us to find a vegan waffle recipe we like), and Chocolate Covered Popcorns. 

I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Voyageur Motel in Two Harbors

Rating: 8 out of 10

At 3pm on Friday, June 3, I was sitting on my sectional couch, searching the computer for the best place to stay in Two Harbors that night. I live about 2.5 to 3 hours away, but there was supposed to be heavy rain, which might slow things down. I was starting to get concerned that we wouldn't be there in time for dinner; we may have to eat dinner on the way. I was considering that maybe we should just pack the car and then drive up first thing in the morning. So I started searching for Saturday night only, which wasn't much better.

Then, I stumbled on a little place called the Voyageur Motel. I don't know how it ended up coming up in my search. They didn't even have a website, just a phone number listed. So, I called. The owner answered and told me that they had just had a cancellation and had a room open for both Friday and Saturday. I booked it right away, which surprised my husband!

I'm so glad we did. It was my first time in Two Harbors, and we had a fantastic time. The owner, Gigi, was very friendly and helpful to us. She recommended that we eat at the Vanilla Bean, which was a lot of fun and delicious. She was also flexible about our arrival time, which was nice.

The Voyageur Motel is a small, 8 unit motel conveniently located on 7th Avenue, which is the main road through town. It's location is very convenient, and very close to the scenic drive that goes to Duluth, which we enjoyed. Wifi and a pretty extensive cable selection are available, which are both important to me and sometimes lacking in a smaller motel. There is also complimentary coffee available at 5am, but we did not avail ourselves of it! I'm not much of a coffee drinker, and my husband isn't much of a morning person.

I would stay at the Voyageur Motel again. It was nice, clean, and reasonably priced. The rooms are very small, fitting a bed, chair, and small desk/table. The TV is mounted on the wall, and there is only a shower in the bathroom. (I'm not sure if this layout is true of all units. We stayed in unit 2.) If you are going to Two Harbors and looking for a reasonably priced place to stay, the Voyageur Motel is a good choice.

Carmody 61 in Two Harbors

Rating: 9 out of 10

We chose the Carmody 61 for the illustrious reason that it was very close to our hotel, and we were able to walk to it. Even though it was pouring rain, we were excited to be able to stretch our legs after the long drive to Two Harbors from our home. 

When we walked in, we had to choose between two doors: restaurant, or bar. We chose restaurant and were greeted with another sign: Please Seat Yourself. We were brought menus and drinks right away. The service was very quick and attentive, with the exception of taking over 15 minutes to pay! We also noticed immediately that there was mustard on the table (a big plus!) and not one, but two veggie burgers on the menu.

Spent Grain Burger: Made from spent grain from their own brewery. It was very unique, and one of the best veggie burgers I've ever had. It had very unique toppings too: whole mustard aioli, lettuce, red onion, tomato, and giardiniera. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about that combo, but it was amazing. 

Black Bean Burger: The black bean burger was very good. It had guacamole on it, which I love. 

We also had the appetizer of "curly fries," which were delicious, but not at all what I was expecting. Apparently curly fries are now like seasoned steak fries in the shape of a circle. I like them, but I was expecting something thinner. 

We had a really great time at the Carmody 61. They had a large selection of tap beers, probably about a dozen, and a good variety. The food was fast and delicious. I will definitely be back the next time I'm in Two Harbors!

Premium Bartender Kit in a Luxury Bag

Rating: 7 out of 10

This set comes with a martini shaker, jigger, and 2 liquid pourers. You can also receive an ebook called "100 Cocktail Drinks Recipes." In order to receive the ebook, you do have to sign up at their website and provide your email.

https://www.amazon.com/Cocktail-Shaker-Premium-Bartender-Luxury/dp/B01C0RCOHM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I love to travel with my martini fixins. One time, I was going to Green Bay for the weekend (Go Pack Go!) and staying with a friend of my mother's. Her only request was that we make martinis, because everyone talks about how wonderful our dirty vodka martinis are! Well, that was quite an ordeal, because we had to pack a shaker, all the glasses, olives (several kinds, of course) and the alcohol. It took up a full size paper box. 

Anyway, we decided to have happy hour as soon as we arrived on Friday night. It was so much fun! The only problem we had is that we could not make them consistently. The taste entirely depended on who was making them. Mine are quite good, but I just can't seem to recreate it when I measure. We tried to measure, but nothing helped. 

Having a jigger really helps with this. The jigger that comes with this set is not a standard size, it is 1/2 ounce and 1 ounce, as opposed to the traditional 3/4 ounce and 1 1/2 ounce. It works well enough to keep track of proportions, so it isn't really an issue. 

Using our new jigger, we have determined that our dirty vodka martini recipe is 3 ounces vodka, 1 ounce vermouth, and a whole lot of olive juice. (The olive juice kind of varies based on personal preference!) It's pretty exciting to be able to have an actual recipe, so I really appreciate that. I love being able to make them consistently!

I also really enjoy having the pouring attachment to use on the bottles. I used to work in a bar and really got used to having pourers, so I'm enjoying having them again. 

I'm very excited to take this set traveling with me! I love the black velvet bag that it comes in, and everything fits really well in it. It's such a great idea to have a set for traveling. 

This product was received free for my honest and unbiased review.