Sunday, October 11, 2009

Vegan Mofo: Autumn Picnic

Saturday night was way too cold for a picnic. It was freakin' 46 degrees, unseasonably cool for an October night in Tennessee. But my boyfriend Paul and I are troopers. We packed a picnic bag and headed to Jazz on the Lawn, our favorite bi-monthly outdoor wine tasting/picnic party at the Beachaven Winery in Clarksville, Tennessee. As you can see, we had to bundle up in scarves and winter coats:

We bought a bottle of Beachaven's Seyval Blanc, a semi-dry white wine with crisp apple notes — perfect for fall:

And then we found an open picnic table close to the stage, where The Next Level played jazz and R&B standards (and a few Michael Jackson songs!). I'm not really a fan of cover bands, but these guys were alright:

I snacked on some fresh foccacia bread from Silke's Old World Breads, a local Clarksville bakery run by adorable German ladies:

Yes, I know it's evil white bread. I only eat white when I'm dining out or for special events like this. Besides, I've never seen whole wheat foccacia. Paul snacked on some cheesy foccacia baked with slices of bell pepper and onion (also from Silke's).

We both topped our bread with this tasty Roasted Garlic Bruschetta spread that I found on sale at Big Lots:

I also nibbled on these Yves Meatless Pepperoni slices, while Paul opted for habanero cheese (yes, he's a dairy eater, but I'm workin' on him):

And for dessert, we got our fill on white seedless grapes:

Unfortunately, it was too chilly for us to stay for the band's entire performance, but we managed to polish off our wine and most of the food before ditching the cold.

Hey, in case you missed it, the awesome Gena of Choosing Raw let me do a guest post on her blog on Saturday. Check it out here.

18 comments:

Devan said...

how are the yves meatless pepperoni? they look interesting!! I am always iffy about trying faux meats.. i tend to stick to tofu and tempeh.

nora said...

now THAT is picnic perseverance :)

The Voracious Vegan said...

What a fun time! That roasted garlic spread sounds deeelicious!

ZippyZu said...

That sounds like an awesome time.. Food, wine and music! I love the idea :-) And you were certainly troopers for staying out there in that frostiness!

chocolateKatie said...

Ugh, cold can really put a damper on fun, can't it?

Looks like it didn't stop y'all though!! :)

*Wishing for summer again...*

Leslie Richman said...

I LOVE that bruschetta from Big Lots. It's so delicious!!

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

that bread looks so good!

Debra said...

Looks like you had a lovely time!

Vegan In The VI said...

I'll have to pick up the bruschetta. Wasn't sure if it would be any good.

Anonymous said...

That looks like fun, despite the cold! I read your post on Gena's blog and I thought,"Wow look at Bianca becoming a big celebrity!" You did a great job! I am glad to see more of the world discovering you and your vegan greatness.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like fun! The picture of the two of you is really cute!

Jen said...

i like the yves veddy much.

JohnP said...

Looks like you had a great time!

jessy said...

i didn't see Gena's post - but i'm totally gonna check it out! that's so awesome, Bianca!

you and Paul are the cutest - you two look like you make a great team! hooray for a tasty appley wine, some super scrumptious focaccia, awesome big lots bruschetta spread (score!), and tasty grapes. so much fun & yumminess - even in the cold!

Mary said...

HA! HA! HA! I don't think it it hit 46 degrees at any point today, and it's supposed to snow tonight. Picnic season has been over for a loooong time in Maine, but I'm not complaining, I'm a soup and sweater girl.

Jenna said...

I love the serious deals you can get on 'gourmet' foods at Big Lots!! And your boyfriend's pic with the wine bottle is too cute! Glad you had fun, at least for as long as you could stand it!

A said...

The garlic bruschetta spread looks really yum!
-A

Erin said...

You guys are so fancy with your wine tastings! Love the picnic spread, even if it was way too cold!