Saturday, November 30, 2019

...11.29...NO Dinner and a Movie...Christmas Tree Instead...

...we went to the little roadside stand this year for our Christmas Tree...that was fun...
...brought it home...
...set it up in the stand...
...brought it inside and then cleaned up all the mess from that process...
...we got the kiddos a few 'special' Christmas ornaments...so they opened those...
...so many 'firsts' for them this year...the Air Force...
...Newlyweds...
...Baby's first Christmas...
...and a beloved granddaughter for us...
...and then we decorated the tree...
...guess who loves all the pretty lights...

~Have a lovely weekend!

Friday, November 29, 2019

...2019 Vegan Thanksgiving Food Prep...

...we started off the day with pancakes and vegan sausage for breakfast...
...before we even got started cooking one of our parishioners brought us a big bag on beautiful sweet potatoes...
...and then another one brought this huge squash...and more sweet potatoes...we are so thankful!...
...first up...PIES!...

...the Man's Mom always makes this 'fake' cheesecake pie for family gatherings...so I thought I'd make a vegan version of that...
...I found this mix...that is accidentally vegan...
...whipped some aqua faba...and ground up some vegan grahams...
...added some Earth Balance to the graham crackers...
...I didn't really measure it...but a few tablespoons...until it holds together well when smushed...
...the whipped aquafaba amazes me every single time I make it...this is about 4 oz. of aquafaba and a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar...this will replace the whipped topping in the recipe...
...mashed the graham cracker mixture into a pie pan...
...and then used another pie pan to flatten it out uniformly...
...perfect...
...then the cream cheese mixture...reading the ingredients...it's pretty much sugar and vanilla...so I may try making this without even buying the mix next time...
...mixed in the Miyoko's cream cheese until creamy...
...then folded in the whipped topping...
...poured it into the prepared crust...
...smoothed the top...
...added the cherry pie filling on top and put it into the fridge to chill...

...and now for the PUMPKIN PIE...because who ever heard of Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie...
...again for the crust...no real recipe...just flour and Earth Balance...
...and a little bit of ice water...
...until you get this crumbly-stick-together consistency...
...I thawed out enough of the frozen candy roaster to make 2 cups of pumpkin...and there was a lot of water...
...so I drained it in my new mesh strainer...
...and I saved that sweet juice for a smoothie...
...gathered up the pie crust dough...
...and rolled it out in my opened up ziplock bag...
...peeled that back...
...plopped it into the pie pan...
...fluted the edges...
...and then placed another pie pan on top...to keep it nice in flat while it par-bakes...
...mixed up the filling...4 oz silken tofu, 2 Tbls tapioca starch, 1/2 cup brown sugar, a dash of salt and pie spice to taste...
...blended up in the food processor...my old...old Emmie...
...took the pie crust out of the oven...
...you don't want it fully baked...just enough so that the bottom doesn't get soggy when you add the filling...
...add the filling...and I put foil around the edges so they don't get too brown...
...baked for about an hour...
...my pumpkin pies almost always crack on top like that...not sure why...

...and now just a couple of 'sides'...
...sweet potato casserole...I baked some of those perfect sweet potatoes...and added some sugar, cinnamon and Earth Balance...
...whipped it up...
...and put it into little individual bakers...
...added some vegan marshmallow (from Trader Joes)...and baked...
...then I made the green bean casserole...(because Our Airman loves it)...minced up some mushrooms...
...added it to some almond milk and flour to make a thick mushroom soup...
...almost ready for the feast...the stuffing is not yet on the table...
...and then pumpkin pie for dessert...
...with more whipped aquafaba topping...

...it was a thoroughly delicious day...

~Have a lovely day!