Wow, what a fantastic podcast I have for you. How about a one-two punch of Natalie Slater from Bake and Destroy followed by the CakeSpy herself, Jessie Oleson Moore. Whoa! Buckle up.

I was inspired to ring Natalie after receiving a free copy of Bake and Destroy: Good Food For Bad Vegans. I totally made her green bean casserole pizza with my friend Helen, and paired a couple dry Rieslings with it. I wanted to get Natalie on the podcast so she could talk about the inspiration for her creative, fun, take-no-prisoners vegan recipes, allowing me a chance to beat the drum for the panoply of creative wine pairing options available to those who choose not to eat meat or dairy. It’s not all about steak and Cabernet, folks! So what else do we discuss? Here are few morsels:

• The awesomeness of the classic 80s arcade game, BurgerTime.
• On the portobello mushroom burger and trying harder.
• The inspiration for the green bean casserole pizza, and a tip for a great vegan slice in Chicago.
• Daring to use the “u” word (umami) when describing nutritional yeast. (BTW, add some to your popcorn and break out the Champagne.)
• A book signing event at a Florida retirement home.
• Having cool grandparents, and I’m asked to recommend a wine for Natalie’s. (Bundle of nerves, folks!)

And then I welcome Jessie, to discuss our strong feelings about getting people to order dessert (and dessert wine) when they’re dining out. Appetizer plus entree does not add up to dinnertime satisfaction without dessert in the equation! You’ll also find the answers to these questions when you tune in to our conversation:

• How many bites of Jessie’s dessert should you expect to get?
• Does Jessie have a ruthless side? Will it be revealed in a book titled, “The Brighter The Light, The Bigger The Shadow”?
• Do baked goods have secret lives?
• Are Katharine Hepburn’s brownies as memorable as her great film performances? What would happen if you ate them while watching The Philadelphia Story?
• Have Jessie and I consigned a barrel of Madeira to come across the Atlantic on a wooden sailboat in the summertime?
• How many kinds of Nanaimo bars will Jessie have on her Christmas table?
• In our discussion of the recent Nog Crawl, of which I was one of the organizers, do we say “NOG” more than 50 times?

All will be answered on Wine Without Worry Episode 26: How to Destroy Wine Stereotypes and also Embrace Sweetness. Listen up:

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Tags: bake and destroy vegan recipes, burgertime arcade game, cakespy nanaimo bars, Wine Without Worry