Warming Mexican hot chocolate bark

By Giselle Wedemire

I received a copy of The New Chicago Diner Cookbook this past Christmas and it is a joy to behold! There are so many recipes I want to make from it that my copy is practically stuffed to the brim with bookmarks.

One of the recipes that first caught my eye (other than the pasta carbonara, and the chocolate mousse cake, and the ginger coconut tofu bites, and the maple whipped cream and and and...) was the Mexican hot chocolate bark. I love spicy and sweet flavour combos and Mexican hot chocolate anything is my JAM, so I was stoked to get started on this recipe. 

I waited until it was the perfect night for concocting a chocolatey treat that's spiked with hits of heat, and finally it came. On an extremely chilly and wintry Tuesday night, Mr. Picky Bitch was out with friends and I was left to indulge in some creature comforts. Snuggled up in an oversized hoodie with a kitty on my lap and a few episodes of Black-ish to catch up on, I was all set. It was time to get cracking on some sweet and spicy chocolate bark to help punch winter in the face.

Picky Bitchez-style Mexican hot chocolate bark is fully equipped with the heat and spices
some feel are required to punch Old Man Winter in the face. 

YYC represented in VegNews magazine!

By Giselle Wedemire

Hey, friends! I have great news to share with you all: my writing was featured in the January/February 2016 issue of VegNews! This is a dream come true for me because VegNews is one of my favourite magazines, and I totally cried when I received an email from them saying that they loved my pitch and that they wanted me to write about how easy it is to be vegan in Calgary. 

This GIF is a pretty accurate depiction of what my reaction was like when I receive that email:

I'm not too proud to admit that I totally cried when I heard
that my pitch to write for VegNews was accepted.
GIF via Giphy.com

Anyway! If you're interested in learning about all of the great vegan hotspots in Calgary -- or you're just interested in supporting a fellow Picky Bitch -- please do me a favour and pick up the copy of VegNews that looks like this:

I've had good luck finding copies of VegNews in Calgary at various Superstore and
Chapters/Indigo stores, as well as Community Natural Foods.

Once you do get your hands on this gorgeous publication, please flip to pages 62 and 63 to find my article some of the amazing vegan fare available to us in Cowtown.

I am honoured and humbled to have been able to write for such a great publication that I admire and enjoy, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this issue half as much as I enjoyed writing for it.

Have you had a chance to read this month's issue of VegNews? What did you think? Where do you have the best luck finding VegNews in Calgary? Let me know by commenting below, or by tweeting me at @PickyBitchez.

New year, new teas...new you?

By Giselle Wedemire

A cup of tea can do a world of good when you're not feeling well. If you're cold, it can warm you from the inside. If you're tired, a caffeinated tea can really wake you up. And if you're feeling a bit under the weather, a herbal tea can soothe and nourish you.

Photo courtesy of Free Food Photos

And that's the idea behind the latest collection of teas from DavidsTea. Released on Jan. 7, the limited edition Feel-Good collection aims to improve overall wellness and, according to their newsletter, make it "easier" to stick to your New Year's resolutions.

However, as we've learned, not all brews from DavidsTea are vegan-friendly. Of the five brand new teas, four are vegan (and all are gluten-free). That's not a bad turnout, but the secret animal-based ingredient in the sole non-vegan tea is a bit of a head-scratcher. 

Here are the four new teas Picky Bitchez can sip on, worry-free:

Turns out that while us vegans can sip on the above teas without question, we won't be able to find relief after a hard night of partying. According to the teal tea purveyor's website, the new Hangover Helper brew contains "natural yoghurt", which, if you ask me, is the last thing I'd want in my tea when I'm wrapped in the cocoon of self-loathing that is a hangover. 

Luckily for Picky Bitchez who may have had a bit too much fun the night before, I've been around the block. For those days when you just want to draw the shades and laze about on the couch all day, I highly recommend cooking up some hash browns and toast, dabbing your temples and neck with Escents Aromatherapy's Head Aid rollerball, and getting into some hangover yoga.

What do you think of "yoghurt" making a cameo in tea? What are your fool-proof hangover cures? And what are your thoughts on turmeric teas? (I'm personally a fan.) Let me know by tweeting at @PickyBitchez