...2.17...Dinner with Mom...a new puzzle...and no movie...

...I got out a few snacks for Mom's arrival...

...and because we thought she might be tired from driving...we wanted to have dinner all ready...and we wanted a hearty warm comforting casserole...so we made Vegan Tater-Tot-Hotdish...

...it's a casserole we were introduced to in North Dakota...and it's basically vegan mushroom soup, vegan hamburger crumbles and mixed vegetables...

...topped with tater tots and baked in the oven...

...and then continuing with the sort of retro dinner theme...I made vegan jello...using apple juice and agar agar...

...Mom's old Tupperware jello mold...I have such fond memories of molded jello as a child...we also had it whipped like a parfait sometimes...so fun...

...I added some canned fruit salad...well drained...

...and it looked so perfect and jiggly in the mold...

...but when I unmolded it...ooops...it fell apart...Mom said maybe the vegan jello wasn't firm enough for the fruit...I'll have to try it again...

...it's very softly gelled...

...a little bit soupy...

...but still delicious...

...and even better with this new-to-us vegan whipped cream...

...after dinner...we got out the puzzle Mom brought...

...it's kind of fancy...

...and the intricate and really oddly shaped pieces are made of wood...

...and after my experience with the jagged edged rose puzzle...I'm just starting this one in the middle...Mom helping me get it started...

...Mom brought our workbench down...and we'll load one of our old red loveseats for her to take home with her...Thanks a bunch Mom!

~Have a lovely weekend!