Final Blogging Blitz of 2009

I decided, at the last minute, to clear out my memory card of all these holiday treats and recent eats... so I can start 2010 with a fresh menu and a fresh eye to blogging! I didn't want you all looking at my Christmas pies and saying "Oh, that's SO last year..." ! So, starting from Christmas Eve onward, here goes nothing:

Pumpkin Pie! I used my new letter cookie cutters! We had a big family dinner on Christmas Eve, and I made dessert, plus the totally amazing Caramelized Onion, Chestnut & Butternut Squash Casserole from Veganomicon... which came and went without photo-documentation. Highly recommended though!

Apple-Pear Pie!! A little less beautiful than its pumpkiny cousin, but still sooooo good.

One of my dad's Christmas presents! A few months back, my dad went to Boston for an astronomy conference (he's an astrophysicist! Hi Daddy!), and when he came home, he was telling me all about some amazing sweet potato & apple sandwich he'd had. So, I asked "What was the name of the restaurant?" He did some research, figured it out, and printed out the menu. All vegan! So, then, with the investigative help of some Boston-based PPKers, I had a local vegan go and eat and photo document the sandwich... she gave great detailed information for each aspect of the sandwich. So, I recreated it, tested it out for ourselves... and gave my dad the recipe and photos for Christmas, with a promise to make it for him whenever he wants! Once I get his seal of approval, I promise to also share it with all of you!

ps. coincidentally, my parents got me a panino press for christmas! I'm so stoked!!

For Christmas Day, we had a nice little mellow family lunch, with some leftovers and some new goodies. My mom made a huge batch of her totally STELLAR minestrone soup. Damn, that stuff is GOOD!

The meaties had turkey sandwiches, so I made some of Bryanna Clark Grogan's delicious "Breast of Tofu" slices for us veggies. Mmmm... they are so good. As I was driving across town to my aunt's house, these little tofu babies made my whole car smell like holiday heaven.

I also made a panforte for xmas day, which I've done for a few years now. I use the recipe in Donna Klien's book "Vegan Mediterranean Kitchen," and I've had great luck with it. It's a crummy picture, but such a delicious holiday treat that I didn't want to leave it out of the line up!

The day after xmas some of my oldest friends (read: friends I've known the longest, not the OLDEST!) and I had a nice little brunch get-together. As a the most happy recipient of Swell Zine in Bazu's recent giveaway, I made the Sweet Potato Cranberry Scones. What a score! I halved the glaze recipe and it was a perfect amount for me. These were a big hit with everyone, and they were so gorgeously pretty. Oh, and also, they were HUGE HUGE HUGE. Mmmm.

I was up in San Francisco recently, and FINALLY got my hands on some of these vegan cheeses I've been hearing so much about. So, a couple nights after xmas, my vegan auntie L & her also-vegan boyfriend came over for some seriously fun vegan pizza night! This pizza used Teese brand "cheeze", with fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, and olives. I liked the mild flavor of this cheeze, but it TOTALLY melted - like liquified. As I cut the pizza, there was just a huge puddle of cheeze all over the cutting board. I found that a bit weird, and un-food-like.

Meanwhile, this winner was made with Italian-Style Daiya-brand cheeze, sundried tomatoes, and fresh bell peppers. Yum! Perfect meltage! Crispy cheezy bits on the crust! I think I put a little too much on, and I've since experimented a little and realized that I prefer a light touch... but suffice it to say that I'm totally stoked to have another whole tub of it in the freezer! Pizzas! Quesadillas! Nachos! OMG!

Lastly, I leave you some of my last great pics of the 2009 memory card. Yes, I'll admit it... I bought Snoopy a Santa outfit. Dude, it's so freaking cute!! Funny enough, that crazy little dog really, really loves wearing jackets...

...but he's not really so crazy about the hat, truth be told.

I can't believe sweet, sweet Yummers Potatoes let me do this to him and take this picture. I love him so much!
Here's our doggie line up: Dottie Bonkers, Stevie Wonder, and Snoopy Snoppy... our sweet little canine buddies. They are wonderful!

Lastly, but not leastly, we were so lucky to have one of the lowest low tides of the year this week, especially today. With good weather and a quiet day... the doggies and I have enjoyed some long walks at beaches that are underwater most of the time. Today we had a long, luxurious walk and saw sea otters, herons, egrets, pelicans, seabirds, starfish, and thousands and thousands of lovely sea anenomes (sp!?). Most exciting of all, I got to check in on My Favorite Sea Anenome. I know you all must be thinking, "really, who has a favorite sea anenome?!" Well, I do. All Sea Anenomes are beautiful and amazing, and mostly they have this neat purply-fading-into-turquoise coloring. Last year, at the farthest end of the beach, at the lowest of low tides, on the underside of a big rock, I discovered this glorious lime-green beauty and fell in love. I was so happy to see it's still there, thriving and glowing and looking cool!

Here was tonight's sunset. So beautiful. Good bye 2009, welcome 2010!