Food & Friends (not photographed)

Tall Guy recently hosted a hungry bunch for brunch. Though the theme of this event took on a life of its own, the delicious offerings of food and beverage were the constant.

My offering was the pineapple upside-down cake from Vegan Table. This moist and sweet cake’s sugary drippings oozed from my undersized cake pan and sizzled on my oven’s floor. I should have heeded Colleen’s advice and positioned some aluminum foil for a safety net. But despite the smoke, I was happy with the end result. I subbed frozen black cherries for the maraschino the recipe called for, considering they’re often colored with carmine, and halved the vanilla extract with orange extract.

Hello, pretty.

Heaven help us, there is a bacon-flavored vodka. Bakon, a label of the Seattle-based Black Rock Spirits puts out this gimmicky flavor. Bacon band-aids and wallets gave way to bacon chocolate bars, cupcakes, air-fresheners, etc… I opted not to try this flavor, not being comfortable in partaking in the bacon craze, but opted for an organic cucumber vodka in my Bloody Mary.

Tall Guy’s neighbor brought a fabulous spread of smoked chanah dal, pureed lentils and some fresh herbs, that truly hit the spot. Thanks, Dave.

Em’s apricot coffee cake, a la Vegan Brunch, was a tasty hit, balancing out the savory bites from the Dal and sausage (below).

CP‘s buttery shortbread cookies were leftovers from her cookie stint at the Loving Hut. If you’re in New York City, check out her sweet things. More info here.

CP also served up some vegan sausage made from scratch using Vegan Brunch‘s recipe. The meaty discs were heated by way of the George Foreman to attain their stripes.