Celebratory Drumsticks

The Chefs: Aurelia and Frankie

The Menu: Faux-chicken drumsticks slathered with barbecue sauce and baked to perfection were the main-course stars of today's stellar lunch. Potatoes sautéed with smoked paprika and kale and a bright salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado and strawberries—side note: is there anything better than strawberries in a salad? Yeah, we don't think so either—with a chopped basil vinaigrette made lovely complements to the faux-meaty main. Oh, and is that a little glass of bubbly? Well, yes and no. Yes, there are bubbles in that glass, but since we eat lunch at noon-thirty it was a tad on the early side for alcohol. Thank goodness for sparkling cider!

The Goods: Maybe you want to know why we're celebrating. Maybe it's because we got the absolutely fantastic news today that VegNews is a finalist for two (count 'em!) Eddie Awards! Maybe this is a huge freakin' deal and we are totally beside ourselves with glee. While we don't know which honor we've received yet (the Eddies have gold, silver, and bronze designations), we do know the categories which are Best Enthusiasts/Hobbyists Magazine, and Best Online Column or Blog. Yes, that means that you are right now, this very second, reading an award-winning blog. Eeeek! Preemptively feeling the celebratory spirit, Ms. Frankie brought in a delicious dessert—her signature fruit pizza! Oatmeal cookie crust meets pudding sauce meets fruit toppings. Yes, we're dead from excitement. And sugar. And glee. And eeep.