Christmas, casinos and cookies

The day after Christmas, I headed up north to perform at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. That was my first stop of three (the others were Wausau, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota). The roads weren't terrible on the way up, I had a pretty fun show, and I managed not to lose any money gambling.  Oh, and like I always do when I work there, I scored a vegan pizza. So wins all around!

I worked with Kris Shaw on the three shows, who I just love.  Not only is he really unique and funny, but he's also a total sweetheart.  That's him performing for a Christmas tree at our show in Wausau:

Turns out, pine trees are actually pretty good laughers.  Who knew?

Not only did we stay at a super fancy hotel (where our gig was held), but we also went to the downtown skating rink after the show.

The venue:

Grace at its finest. Sochi 2014, here I come.

After leaving Wausau, I was so excited to get to Duluth.  Sadly, it was not the most scenic drive up there.

I was pumped to get to Duluth because not only do I love performing at Dubh Linn's Pub, but one of my favorite people lives there.

That's my friend Tim, who is one of most awesome people on the face of the earth.  He does sound at Dubh Linn's, and the first time I worked there, we had a really long conversation and became great friends after that.

We had beer, chips and salsa, and more great conversation before my show and then got updated on each other's lives after it.  He also gave me a bunch of homemade wine that he made for Christmas.  And I made him vegan chocolate chip cookies. 

Just because I think the recipe is so great (I swear, even Tim said the same thing without me bribing him), I've decided to share it. Enjoy the chocolatey goodness! 

• 1 cup margarine (or butter)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Silk Original or Vanilla soy or almondmilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
  2.Using an electric mixer or sturdy wooden spoon, cream margarine (or butter) and sugars until light and fluffy. 
  3.Slowly add Silk, mix well, then add the vanilla. 
  4.Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir to blend. Fold in the chocolate chips. 
  5.Drop by teaspoon onto buttered or parchment-lined cookie sheets. 
  6.Bake for 8-10 minutes.