Holiday Happenings

Happy Holiday Times to You!

 Mom, Nephew and Footie, playing kitty games on the sofa.

On the Winter Solstice, my not-so-young-anymore nephew came over and spent the afternoon with us. It had been a while since we hung out with him, and it was great. We took the doggies for a walk along the coast, right at the sunset, and it was so beautiful.

 Afterwards, my parents came over and joined us all for dinner. I made the Tomato, Rice and White Bean Soup from Veganomicon. I love this soup, and it was even better the next day! I wanted to make something that wasn't too weird or exotic for my nephew's tastes, but that everyone could enjoy, and this definitely fit the bill!

 I had some recently-made Gingerbread Men hanging out in the freezer just waiting for their big moment, so I had my nephew decorate these guys for our dessert while I was making dinner. :)

My family usually has a big family dinner on Christmas Eve, and this was the first year of my entire 40-years life that we didn't have the dinner at my parents' house! My brother and his girlfriend wanted to host this year, and so off we went into a brave new frontier!

Many years ago, when our family gatherings were much larger, sometimes there were as many as 6 vegans and 1 vegetarian at family meals. Often we outnumbered the non-vegans! Well, how the mighty have fallen. This year I was the only veggie in attendance. I was about to make life easy for myself and just bring some Field Roast, but Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats talked me into making a lasagna. Actually he said "Let's do it together, I'll help you!" - and then he went off and played tennis for a few hours while I made lasagna. Ha ha. Love that guy. But - actually - the lasagna was super delicious and now I haven't had to make dinner for a few nights in a row, because no one else ate any and we basically came home with a huge tray of Christmas Lasagna. YUMZ. The gift that keeps on giving.

 My brother's girlfriend got out her fancy china for the dinner, and the whole table looked so elegant and pretty.

For dessert I made a Holiday Galette with Apples, Pears, Spiced Quince, Spiced Rum, and Tangerine Zest. It was super delicious. I love this sparkly picture. There were so many candles on the table, it was very beautiful. The evening was both new and familiar. There were a few of my brother's friends there too and it was nice to meet some new people as well as be with family.

Snoopy looking out the window on Christmas Day, beyond the paper snowflakes.

Despite the optimism of the paper snowflakes, it has been about 70 degrees here, which is both nice and weird.

 Footie hiding behind our presents.

Even though we did Christmas Eve dinner somewhere new this year, one important tradition was maintained: Christmas Morning Waffles at my parents' house! Apparently, I was so happily in-the-moment that I never even took a single waffle picture. So, I've re-created Waffle Time in doodle format. For many years, my dad would resist my vegan waffles, and we would have to make one batch of vegan waffle batter and one batch of non-vegan waffle batter... But when I discovered the Raised Waffles from Vegan Brunch, I just knew that this would no longer be an issue. They are so delicious and everyone loves them!

This year the waffle party included my parents, my two awesome nephews, and Mr VE&T and me. As you can see, we use two waffle irons to expedite the yumz. Also, we always have two types of syrup on the table: real maple syrup (for snobs like my parents and me) and "fake" maple syrup for the plebeians (like Mr VE&T). I'm not sure where my nephews fall on this important issue. It was probably my favorite part of the whole holiday - sweet and quiet and cozy. Afterwards, we exchanged a few humble little gifts, though the emphasis was most definitely on togetherness more than on gifts.

 The Doggies near my parents' Xmas Tree. You can see our abundant supply of gifts under the tree - ha!

I got the doggies all matching Christmas bandanas with little jingle bells on them. SO cute.

One of the gifts I did make this year was a nice Chocolate Panforte for my mom and dad. We all share a love for this dense, delicious Italian treat, and over the years I've combined a few recipes to come up with one that I love. It's packed with walnuts, almonds, candied citron, dried figs, and loads of warming holiday spices. So good!