As a foodie I find it hard not to go all out for Thanksgiving. I didn’t host the event and yet my list of items to make was pretty long. Well, lets be honest, it’s not easy to ask the hostess (my mother) to make vegan items for me! Since I didn’t want to miss out on any of my favorite things I needed to make sure there were versions for myself and since my brother in law (his first Thanksgiving with the family) is a high raw vegetarian it was an even bigger excuse to cook more. First things first, stuffing. Only the best Thanksgiving food there is and generally made with chicken broth. So I brought a package to make with veggie broth but when I got there I found out that that’s how my mom does it anyway! Bonus. But I still made it.
This was before it went into the oven to get crispy and delicious! Even though I suspended my gluten free status this was the only item with gluten that I ate! Another bonus.
I also made a spiced sweet potato and chick pea dish from Sprouted Kitchen which is positively amazing!
It’s a great combination of sweet and savory spices in a savory dish. It was a hit this year! Definitely go check out her blog.
I also attempted a vegan gravy. It definitely needs tweaking so I won’t post the recipe for it yet but it served it’s purpose!
Then I did make a gluten free ‘stuffing’ out of rice. It has all the same ingredients as stuffing except that it’s rice instead of bread. It turned out great! I made it in risotto style on the stove top in a skillet.
I sauteed onions, celery and garlic in olive oil and added sage, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper.
Then I added the rice and let it brown before adding water and stirred and stirred until it got nice and creamily soft.
Once it finished cooking I put it in a dish and in the oven to warm and brown. Last year when I tried this I failed in making it taste like stuffing but this year it was perfect!
I even side my sided it to make sure the flavor was perfect and it was great, only the texture was rice instead of bread!
Lastly I made an apple and onion tart. I’ve never made a tart before so I was just guessing and hoping that it was good. I basically tossed a sliced onion and a sliced apple in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and maple syrup and folded the pie crust over it.
Then I baked it for EVER. That’s what it seemed like because both ovens were being used for multiple purposes and I couldn’t set it at a temperature I thought I would need. So basically I eye balled it until it looked like this!
It turned out really well! If I were going to make it again I wouldn’t use a pie crust but a basic yeast bread recipe and I would probably use more herbs. But it got eaten and that makes me happy!
Of course there was loads of family and fun going on and the whole afternoon of cooking was all that I hoped for! We had a great time. Then today everyone came over and we hung out at our house! Here’s a pic of me and my mom. She is SO gorgeous! Just look at her…..and yes, she’s given birth to seven kids and homeschooled us all so looking like this is extra amazing.
I look huge in this picture! Mostly because I’m leaning forward but still……
After everyone left we carried out our favorite tradition of putting up the tree the day after Thanksgiving. We went to a new place this year to pick out a tree and it’s by far the best one we’ve ever had, awesome shape, incredible color and perfect proportion!
We are huge fans of celebrating and Christmas is the best holiday of all. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before but we started dating during the Christmas season and got engaged right before Christmas the next year so it’s even more significant for us.
Now we’re watching Toy Story and drinking wine in the glorious glow of Christmas lights all around our house. It’s amazing.
Question: What traditions do you have? Do you LOVE Christmas?
Both you and your mom are gorgeous!!!
We have so many traditions its hard to keep up with. I’m so excited for Christmas!!!!! Dec 1st is my day to decorate!
Your tree looks beautiful
It must be so much fun to decorate one!!
GIRL! You are AMAZING! I wanna eat all that yumminess you prepared.
Look at that AVE-man!!! He’s so handsome and you and your momma are gorgeous. And I love love love your tree. SO beautiful. You’re gonna LOVE making memories with your little man. It’s so fun.
We LOVE Christmas and of course it just gets better and better since having kids.
It’s still wonderful. I think it’s the boys’ favorite thing. Sometimes we make it down to the Plaza but that hasn’t happened every year. We also go to Crown Center at some point and play in the Christmas Playland next to the Coterie then walk the “The Link” to Union Station and check out the model trains. Outside Crown Center is the Mayor’s tree and underneath all sorts of wooden vehicles the kids love to play in. Basically, we spend a day there and during the week you get 3 hours of free parking unless you spend $30 (easily done at Crayola cafe for lunch), then you get an extra 3 hours. It’s worth it to me to go during the week to avoid the crowds. Plus the schools come out and sing in the food court. YAY. Hopefully, Jer can take a day off and come with us this year. When he worked at the county we went downtown a LOT b/c he could meet up with us on lunch break. 
Our tree is very “eclectic” -much like our house. I wonder if eventually, we’ll have a “kid” tree. I think about doing that each year but I love their decorating and want them to be showcased b/c they are the heart of our home. It’s very obvious when you walk into our house that we are a homeschooling family. 
We always go to Christmas in the Park light display at Longview and we try to do it on a night it’s not so crowded but that’s nearly impossible.
Another thing we do… we like to go to “Chicago Street” in Blue Springs where they have a nativity light display throughout this neighborhood. Super-cool!
We let the boys decorate our tree. It’s quite amusing. Usually, you can find five ornaments on one tiny branch just randomly placed around the bottom 3rd of the tree.
We also have them “build” a nativity of some sort with household items. Like a basket filled with Raffia ribbon and a babydoll wrapped with cheesecloth. LOL. It’s pretty cute.
You’ve got so much to look forward to with your cute little babe!!! I’m so thrilled for you.
Everything looks great! I haven’t always loved Christmas, but I’m going to make my best effort this year!!
LOVE is not a strong enough word for what Christmas and I have. Last year I started a new tradition, and that was stay at home, just the two of us on Christmas day. It was the best Christmas I ever had. When you work until 7pm on the 24th and start at 5am on the 26th, no I’m not going to visit all 4 families in a 30 hour time span. (both of our parents are divorced). We coordinated special visits with all 4 families in the two weeks before Christmas and everyone ended up happy. It was perfect.
Diana,
Thanks for bringing all the awesome dishes to the feast! My favorites were the apple/onion tart and the sweet potatoes w/ chick peas. Who would have thought to put onions & apples together? I somehow missed out on the rice dishes – Mom said they were amazing. Here’s an idea for next time: the apple/onion tart with chunks of homemade bacon on top. Not quite vegan, but Shane & I would devour it!
P.S. I agree with Estela & Belinda – You and your Momma are gorgeous!
That was the best Thanksgiving weekend I can remember in a long time, and I credit you with a lot of that success. We had a great time at your house too- it was fun and cozy, and I know it looks even more festive with the tree. Can’t wait to see you again!
I love the recipe from sprouted kitchen! I can’t believe you make it too– my sister passed it on to me last year, and it has become a favorite around here with my family and friends.