Not Just Dinner | Party Vegan

Okay, so all blog posts won't be a recipe for a simple dinner and a movie review. Here is a new book with "fabulous, fun food for every occasion." Chock full of items for any event, it takes the challenge out of feeding carnivores and vegetarians alike for a cocktail party, happy hour, or movie night. 

With more than 140 recipes, helpful tips, and information sidebars, Party Vegan delivers new ways to make the most of your special times with creative menus and dazzling fare that tastes great, but requires only a minimum of effort. 

Party Vegan isn’t just for vegans, but also for vegetarians and health-conscious omnivores, and anyone looking for healthy and innovative recipes. Happy Holidays!

VLT (Vegetarian BLT) | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

VLT
2 veggie bacon strips, cooked
2 slices bread, toasted
tomato slices
lettuce
mayonnaise

Assemble the sandwich. NOTE: My favorite veggie bacon are MorningStar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips and Lightlife Smart Bacon. Lightlife Smart Bacon is thicker and heartier than the MorningStar Farms version, but both are good.


Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | 1967
Oh, dear. This is a film with incredible performances by all four actors--Richard Burton as George, Elizabeth Taylor as Martha, George Segal as Nick, and Cathy Dennis as Honey. Based on the Edward Albee play, a baudy Martha is constantly berating and degrading George while dismissing the mousy Honey and mooning over ambitious Nick. At the core, its a liquor-ridden, romp through marriage gone wrong or maybe marriage never right at the beginning. Outside the bar after a crazy spin around the dance floor, Martha screams at George, "I'm loud, and I'm vulgar, and I wear the pants in the house because somebody's got to . . . but, I am not a monster! I'm NOT!" A movie you can't see just once, you're not sure whether to laugh or cry. Taylor's Bette Davis impression at the beginning is priceless.

Taco Salad | Suddenly, Last Summer

Taco Salad
1 cup frozen crumbled veggie burger
1 tsp taco seasoning
2 cups lettuce, shredded
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 large handful tortilla chips, about 20 chips

Mix the frozen crumbled veggie burger with the taco seasoning and a small amount of water to keep moist. Heat until veggie burger crumbles are well seasoned (about 1 minute). In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and eat immediately. Note: I prefer MorningStar Farms Recipe Crumbles.

Suddenly, Last Summer | 1959

This film from the play by Tennessee Williams has Katherine Hepburn (Violet Venable) wanting Montgomery Clift (Dr. Kukrovich) to lobotomize her babbling niece, Elizabeth Taylor (Catherine) as a result of Sebastian Venable's (Mrs. Venable's son and Catherine's cousin) mysterious death while on holiday with Catherine. If you know from the beginning of the film that Sebastian was gay, you catch the subtle innuendos throughout the dialogue that would bring you to that very conclusion by the end of the movie. Stellar performances by all three stars. Taylor's scream during the climax of this picture rivals the scream heard in her tragic, Oscar-winning performance ending in Butterfield 8 (1958). The screenplay was written by Tennessee Williams and Gore Vidal.

Chili Veggie Dogs | What's Up, Doc?

Chili Veggie Dogs
veggie dogs, cooked
hot dog buns
mustard
veggie chili, heated
1/4 chopped onion

Assemble the chili veggie dog. Put cooked veggie dog in a bun, top with mustard, veggie chili, and chopped onion. Serve with a side of coleslaw. Note: my favorites are Lightlife Smart Dogs and Hormel Vegetarian Chili.

What's Up, Doc? | 1972

Starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal, this screwball comedy set in San Francisco is plumb with side-splitting funny street scenes featuring Chinatown, the hairpin turns of Lombard Street, and the city's waterfront as the backdrop. Four identical suitcases with very different contents are constantly switched with ensuing mayhem throughout the film. Madeline Kahn's film debut performance earned her a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination as the controlling Eunice Burns. Mabel Albertson (Darren Stephen's mother, Phyllis, Bewitched) plays the wealthy Mrs. Van Hoskins, stealing every scene she graces! The comic timing in this picture is perfect! Story by Peter Bogdanovich, who also directs, and screenplay by Buck Henry. It is number 61 on the list of 100 greatest comedies published by the American Film Institute. This movie is awesome.

Pasta Salad | Barefoot in the Park

Pasta Salad
1/2 box of macaroni, cooked
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/4 lb cheddar cheese, small cubes
1 tsp mayonnaise
pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, and parsley or dill

Mix all ingredients and chill at least one hour. Serve with a croissant and cubed cantaloupe on the side.

Barefoot in the Park | 1967

The film based on Neil Simon's 1963 play, Barefoot in the Park is a hilarious ride through the first days of marriage for Corie (Jane Fonda) and Paul Bratter (Robert Redford). Paul, a conservative, young lawyer and his new wife, fun-loving Corie, take up residence in a fifth-floor walk-up apartment in New York's Greenwich Village. Corie's mother, Ethel Banks (Mildred Natwick), has some of the best lines in the movie including one after her first trip up those ridiculous five flights of stairs, she exclaims, "If I'd known the people who live on the third floor, I would have stopped to visit them!" The eccentric neighbor, Victor Valasco (Charles Boyer), charms Mrs. Banks, while the incompatibility of Corie and Paul erupts. Neil Simon's dialogue is exceptional and witty. The 1960s sets are fabulous and the scene in Washington Square Park is fun as the roles of the Bratter lovers reverse. Look for fun appearances by Herb Edelman (Stanley Zbornak, The Golden Girls) and Mabel Albertson (Darren Stephen's mother, Phyllis, Bewitched).