Family Matters

Oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies are to gain weight for. They were a hit! 

The mess of my kitchen the night before. That is fake bacon out front, along with the workings of my pumpkin pie. 

Here are my nuked sweet potatoes ready to be scooped and mashed with a background of cooling cookies. No, I don't have a cooling rack so I use parchment paper and my cold granite counter top.

Oreo chocolate chip cookies...a very sweet treat.

This is what happens when you ball up an oreo inside cookie dough. I had to cut the center out, but I didn't mind eating the sides in my cereal.  hehe

Graham cracker crust cooling next to my homemade old-applesauce jar of cinnamon pinecones. 

Isn't that a fun and creative idea? Mr. Organnix said, "Well aren't you a little miss Martha Stewart?" when I was putting them together. We used old jars and candle tins for other placements around the house. Upcycle!

Here is my Thanksgiving day feast plate. I've got tofurky with surrounding veggies, green beans and almonds, artichoke salad, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and butternut squash. Yum!

I got this hand-me-down to bring home; it's an antique bubblegum machine. Awesome! I'm thinking of filling it with marbles or something. What do you suggest?

And last night, three days after Thanksgiving, I had to make my very own meal. Like I said before, I just can't get enough of these fall flavors. They warm me up inside and out. Here is my tofurky with a molasses, orange juice, sage, and soy sauce glaze. It's a before picture but only because I couldn't help but dig in when it came out of the oven. The molasses gives it such a delicious sweet flavor, like the idea of a honey-baked ham (which I've never even had before). 

And as I mentioned in my last blog, here are my fake bacon (Facon?) mashed potatoes. I'm making a shepard's pie tonight with leftover veggies and tofurky, and topping it with these delicious babies. Small red potatoes are so naturally creamy; it's ridiculous. 

This is my precious Mary Jane. She's been visiting me for 3 weeks now, and gets to stay two more because of some stitches. She had a funny lump on her knee that Mr. Organnix called "Nipple Knee" so we got it biopsied. Fortunately, it was benign and she's a very healthy 7-year old dog...who still acts like a 3 year old brat. Technically she's not allowed in my apartment, but even after management found out she was visiting they didn't send her packing. I get a week and half more of her playful company. 

This is her as a burrito. 

Kudos to Mr.Organnix for taking these photos while I was out Tofurky-Day shopping.

Thanksgiving was a hoot...or should I say a gobble? Cooking was fun. The family was endearing. And the texts after about my pie recipe were very well received. ;) I did end up forgetting my favorite dish which I had prepared the night before, sweet potato mash with a vegan marshmallow topping. But what would Thanksgiving be if I didn't forget something?

Luckily my sister was preparing butternut squash with no plans for the final product and so I took to my best practice-improv. (Every time I improv a recipe, and don't have what I need, the final product turns out fantastic.) I turned it into my sweet potato mash! She had already cubed the squash and was cooking it in the oven with brown sugar. I decided to mash it with my Cuisinart Smart Stick (best invention for mashed potatoes) and add almond milk, powdered sugar, salt, and cinnamon. I topped it with my Ricemellow, which I happened to remember even though I forgot the dish of potatoes, and placed it in a pie dish to brown. And what do you know? It turned out just as delicious as if I used my original sweet potatoes. Everyone may have thought it was a pie by the looks, but I passed it off as part of the main course. Muahaha!

My fresh sourdough stuffing recipe could have used more time in the oven, but people still liked it more than the prepared boxed one. (Sorry Krystal) My sister Rochelle made this amazing cranberry sauce from scratch and I need the recipe. It was so yummy! I know she used orange juice in it, and it gave it this zesty freshness that made me want more, more, more. Too bad my little tummy couldn't handle all the good food! Ugh, I should have brought some of that home! I think most of it was gone by the end of the night though. Good Job Roch! 

For dessert, my pumpkin pie woo'd the crowd. I saw my sister Krystal go back at least 3 times for another slice. My brothers girlfriend, who said, "Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without stuffing and pumpkin pie," even liked my vegan version! I was super proud of my original recipe...especially because it's usually only me and sometimes Mr.Organnix doing the taste-testing. To have the whole family critique my food was a nice and eye-opening change. I like all the taste buds joining in. :) 

My sister Rochelle brought awesome brownie-cookies and I brought my chocolate chip oreo-stuffed cookies. My brother was the toughest critic, but even he couldn't say no to bringing the last one home in a doggy bag. And I kept hearing the question, "Are these vegan too?" I proudly said yes, still impressed that I made something tasty enough for people to go back for seconds. It was my first time having others eat my food and smile about it. It made me feel great. 

We had some fun debating which are the best TV shows out right now, and how Seinfeld was epic (or in other people's opinions boring and pointless). You can guess which side I'm on, on that one.

After all the debating and laughing was over, we caught a few minutes of Avatar and Back to the Future 2, which also warranted some universal and timeline chatting.

And for all my family reading this...Don't think you got out of being in my photo line-up!

Football in the background, wine being opened, family gathered, and food galore. Now that's Thanksgiving! 

Ps: After having so much fun with the family and cooking, I'm trying to gather them at my place for a Prixmas (Pre-Xmas/Hannukah) dinner. I'll do the cooking and entertainment and we can all exchange gifts. Keep a look out for more photos!