Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe-Store Blog

Hey all! The much anticipated Marshmallow Kits and Meringue Mixes are finally back in stock.

Also, Jeanette from Vegan Dish brought in some beautiful new pieces, including a serving bowl and some dinner plates. Check out the full selection of pottery from Vegan Dish here.

Grab yourself the newest copy of Veg News, too!

Hey Locals! If you are planning on stopping by our retail store soon, here are the holiday hours:

Wednesday, Dec. 24th (Christmas Eve) 12:00- 5:00
Thursday, Dec. 25th (Christmas) CLOSED
Wednesday, Dec. 31st (New Years Eve) CLOSED
Thursday, Jan. 1st (New Years Day) CLOSED

Other than these few precious days off, it will be all business as usual up in here. So come by and see us, won't you?

To our peeps in the U.S- There's still time to get an order delivered before the holidays! Check out our Holiday Shopping Guide for all the shipping details.

Are you still on the lookout for some vegan gifts? Chocolate is always a good way to go! We have some festive organic chocolates in stock by Sjaak's: Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bites and Chocolate Peanut Butter Winter Wonderfuls. Also in stock are some Sjaak's Organic Chocolate Santas. These will be gone in a flash, so grab one while the gettin's good!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who braved the crowd and came out to the bake off yesterday. There were lots of fantastic baked goods entered this year, and competition was fierce! We were able to raise a good chunk of cash for Forgotten Animals Rescue, too. Behold, the winners:



Sean Caffrey, Jes Gearing & Lisa Bennett! Jes took home the "Best in Show" whisk trophy for her Alcoholic Peppermintastic Dark Chocolate Crepe Cake, which she was kind enough to share the recipe for on her blog here.
Sean won the medal for "Most Creative Recipe" with an ooey, gooey Sticky Toffee Pudding, and Lisa won the medal for "Best Take on a Classic" with her holiday version of Hummingbird Cake.

A crowded little vegan store:


A couple of lovely entries, Raw Apple Pie and Strawberry Banana Cake:


Tasty Key Lime Tart, and half a plate of Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies:


There's a message on the Shoo Fly Pie Cupcakes:


A big, fluffy Hummingbird Cake, a plate of delicious Fudge Brownies, and some of Helen's Famous Cookies:


Judges doing their thing:


Awaiting the decision:


"Best in Show" winner Jes' Mom came to root her on:


Jill, Genna, Blair, Lisa, and Jen. Jill whipped up the Shoo Fly Pie, Lisa the Key Lime Tart, and Jen with (our personal favorite) the Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies:


Joy and family. Joy made a very tasty Winter Solstice Bread Pudding:


Lisa L. and friend. Lisa made a beautiful Raw Apple Pie, and won a whole case of gravy playing vegan trivia:


Alicia and Drew. Alicia made some healthy and yummy Raw Walnut Brownies:


Also, we want to give another huge THANK YOU to the vendors who were kind enough to donate some free product for prizes for this event. It helped us spend less money to put on this year's bake off, which in turn allowed us to donate more money to Forgotten Animals Rescue. The prizes were donated by:

Edward and Sons (gravy, mashed potatoes, organic coconut)
Sunflour Baking Co. (Vanilla Shortbread Cookies)
Nutrilicious Natural Bakery (Donut Holes)
Liz Lovely (Delicious Cookies)
Crispy Cat (candy bars)

Thank you, thank you , thank you!!!

The entry forms are in, and it looks like tomorrow's bake off is going to be awesome! There is some strong competition this year. Who will take home the whisk trophy? We hope you come by tomorrow and find out!

This event is free to all. There will be some trivia with prizes while we all await the judges decision. But please consider picking up some things for yourself or for holiday gifts while you're here, because we are donating a portion of all sales from this event to Forgotten Animals Rescue. Forgotten Animals is a small rescue group that helps to find loving homes for animals on death row. Fostering, paying for medical expenses, spaying and neutering, and transferring to no-kill shelters can be quite costly for a small organization such as Forgotten Animals, so we are very grateful for your participation in this event.

See you tomorrow, and bring your appetite!

First of all, there is going to be a Horse Carriage Demo this Saturday. Here's the info from GARP (Georgia Animal Rights and Protection):

Please plan to attend our first demonstration for the horses who are pulling carriages around Atlanta.

It will be on Saturday, December 6 from 12-2 pm.

I will bring signs and literature to hand out. Meet at the corner of International and Peachtree. (near the Hard Rock Cafe - which I hear is not there anymore...)
As usual, it will be a low-key - but informational opportunity for the public. Any time you can give to help these helpless animals will certainly be appreciated!

Saturday, December 6th is an International Day of Recognition for Carriage Horses. Demonstrations are being planned in:

NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Annapolis and Atlanta. They will also be held in Rome, Florence, Dublin and Tel Aviv.

Here are some facts about the horse carriage trade that you may not be aware of:
Forcing horses to pull oversized loads isn't romantic—it's cruel.• Horses are forced to toil in all weather conditions, dodge traffic, and pound the pavement all day long.• These gentle animals suffer respiratory ailments from breathing in exhaust fumes, and debilitating leg problems from walking on hard surfaces.• Horses have even dropped dead from heatstroke after working in scorching summer heat and humidity.•
leading to accidents that harm horse and human alike.Horses are often surprised and spooked by loud noises on the street, which can cause them to run amok,• The average working life of a carriage horse is a mere 4 years — after which many are sent to slaughter.• All animals, human and non-human, deserve to be free — speak out against carriages and animal exploitation!

Also, we are offering a new (to us) line of all natural skin care from Aubrey Organics. Aubrey has the cleanest ingredient list of any product available on the market. Treat your skin right during this cold weather! See the whole line here.

Oh, and don't forget to enter the bake-off! Tomorrow is the last day to register!

For your convenience, we have put together this holiday shopping guide to help you best plan your shopping times. Don't let the shipping deadlines creep up on you, place your orders soon!

Of course we have some great new finds in stock for the holidays. Sjaak's makes some of the best vegan, organic & fair trade chocolates around. This year, we are pleased to offer two gift boxes: Peanut Butter Chocolate Snowmen and Chocolate Lavender Truffles.

Crazy Rumors has some yummy new lip balm flavors to choose from. Check out the new line of ice cream flavors called A la Mode, as well as the Gumball and Candy Cane gift sets.