Recipes, projects & products that don’t suck.

Welcome potluck guests! Have you had to change your shirt from all the drool yet? Today I am participating in the Virtual Vegan Potluck, which is basically a string of 100+ blogs all linked together with “forward” and “back” buttons/links to guide you through an online plant-based progressive dinner, if you will. You’ll be taken through eight courses, with several bloggers participating in each course. You are currently in the first course, Appetizers, which will be followed by Beverages, Bread, Salad, Sides, Soups, Main Dishes and Dessert. You’ll find links to the previous dish/blog and the next dish/blog at the bottom of this post. Most often on 86 Lemons, I test other people’s vegan recipes and report to my readers, letting them know if it’s…

I’m not really sure which teams are in the Super Bowl. Well, now I am. I just googled it. 49ers and Ravens. While I love to watch college football (Michigan Wolverines, in particular), pro football just doesn’t interest me much. But I do look forward to the clever commercials during the Super Bowl. And sometimes there’s a decent halftime show. Mostly I just like that the Super Bowl is a great excuse to get together with friends and munch on good food while feigning moderate interest in the game. And by good food, I don’t mean Doritos and Cheetos. I mean Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip, Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats, Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts, Veggie Quesadillas, Fresh Guacamole, Vegan Buffalo Bites and Mushroom &…

Whether you need a super quick, last-minute, delicious appetizer for NYE or you are looking for healthy recipes to kick off the new year, I’ve got just the thing. It’s crazy-easy to make and the flavor is amazing. This vegan, gluten-free Classic Hummus with Toasted Pine Nuts recipe comes from Liz at The Lemon Bowl. Liz is co-creator of Taste of Michigan, the food bloggers event I attended back in October. Her blog is full great information and healthy recipes. During a KitchenAid demo, Liz made her hummus for us and we all relished the sample. I also became a little obsessed with the fancy new KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor with ExactSlice™ System. Lucky for me, Macy’s had a killer sale on Black Friday. Ever since it…

I swear it was Monday, then I blinked and it was Friday. The days fly by so fast. I can never ever seem to get caught up with my giant to-do list. Things get added faster than I can cross them off. I managed to order my Christmas cards a couple of weeks ago. They arrived last week. And I haven’t mailed a single one yet. I did buy stamps today, though… so that counts for something, right? Nonetheless, the weekend is nearly here and I’m looking forward to attending a couple of holiday parties! For both parties, guests have been asked to bring a dish to pass. Today, I decided to do a trial run on Dreena Burton’s Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip (without all…