our life in a click

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Vegan Christmas 2016:What We Made

Christmas weekend was a whirlwind of activity and entertaining at our house. We hosted Mr. Click's side of the family on Christmas Eve morning for brunch and my side of the family for Christmas dinner. I made as much as I could ahead of time and was lucky that I had three great cooks to help me with the preparations.

First up was Christmas Eve brunch. We hosted about 30 people for an Ugly Sweater celebration. It was chaotic and crazy but lots of fun (and sadly I didn't get photos of all of our delicious dishes). Everyone brought something but here's what we made. I made this Hot Spiced Fruit Dish that was full of apples, pears and cranberries. It makes a great brunch side dish. This photo is before it was baked.

Miss High School made a batch of Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls which are always crowd pleasers. She gave some out to her co-workers but we had a few trays left for brunch (not vegan but totally amazing!).

Some of the ugly sweater shenanigans. Props were from Etsy.

I also made this Mushroom Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato vegan quiche which I've made before (old photo).

source

My oldest made this fabulous Thai Kale Salad with Cashew Dressing. Not my photo!

We made LOTS of cookies! I only made the Vegan Peanut Butter Kiss cookies and the Peppermint Brownies(working on a recipe for these).

They are a layer of brownies followed by a peppermint buttercream icing and a hard chocolate coating, covered in peppermint candy.

We had a little hot chocolate bar set up as well as mimosas and some fancy egg nog (I can't remember what it was called).

After everyone left we had to start cleaning up and preparing for the next day's dinner. We had a low key Christmas Eve with just the four of us. We took a walk around our neighborhood to see the beautiful luminaries.

Dinner was leftovers and then a game of Settlers of Catan. I bought the game last year and we finally got the girls to try it with us. They were hooked.

My Christmas morning breakfast: tofu scramble, sweet potato hash and vegan stollen that my aunt made for us.

I was a bit obsessed with plaids and buffalo checks this year. See my DIY Blanket Scarf tutorial for more cozy plaids and checks!

I made these Smoky & Spicy Nut, Sesame and Coconut Bacon Bar Nuts a few days before Christmas. They are addictive!

I also made The Best Shredded Kale Salad. I've made it before and the red of cranberries with the dark green kale really look Christmas-y to me!

Another appetizer that we made was this Easy & Delicious Bruschetta. It uses grape tomatoes and you can get the taste of a summer treat anytime of year (also red and green!).

Since our roasted veggies were such a hit on Thanksgiving, we made them again for Christmas. Other repeats were the Cornbread Dressing and Vegan Gravy.

Some of the appetizers. We made two kinds of spinach artichoke dip. This one was the Trader Joe's brand. The vegan one I made was not very good. I had the Extra Raw Vegan Cheese Ball in my freezer from last year so I defrosted it and it was still tasty!

Now this was my piece de resistance! I have been wanting to make this Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf for a long time and this was the year! The savory lentil-nut filling can be made ahead of time. I made the loaves a few days before Christmas and wrapped them up well until ready to bake and serve. I brushed almond milk on top of the pastry before baking and it wasn't dry at all.

Look how pretty it bakes up! This was a show stopper and tasted as good as it looked. We also served turkey breast, roasted potatoes and rolls for dinner.

Here's my plate of vegan goodness! Ok, now I'm hungry. What did you make/eat for your holiday get togethers?

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Monday, January 9, 2017

{DIY}Blanket Scarf (and how to use them in home decor)

What is a blanket scarf and how do you wear one? Have you got a few of these versatile pieces in your wardrobe? Don't know what I'm jabbering on about? Blanket scarves are extra large, almost blanket like in size and made of a soft, warm material (like a blanket).

To make your own you need some cozy fabrics. I bought two yards of each.

I used my own blanket scarf as a guide for measuring. Most blanket scarves are about 55-56 inches square.

For the flannel I just folded it down into a triangle shape and cut off the excess.

Then all you need to do is start fraying the edges by pulling out the threads that run horizontally. This can be a bit tedious and time consuming but I did mine while watching tv.

To tie a blanket scarf: Fold the scarf into a triangle and pick it up by the ends with the point facing down, hold in front of your body. Criss-cross the two ends around the back of your neck, continue to pull until the ends are in front. Tie the ends together and fluff up the scarf the way you like it. For more tips about blanket scarves,check out this informative blog post.

I put my hair up if I'm wearing a blanket scarf so that it doesn't hang awkwardly on the scarf. Also there is a lot of material and putting my hair up keeps it from overwhelming my face.

They are awesome for keeping your neck warm with a jacket but also pretty darn stylish paired witha sweater.

I've been know to take one with me to the movies or in the car for extra warmth. They really are versatile and practical.

I also use the scarves around my house to add some coziness to my winter decor. This scarf was from Charming Charlie and I put it on the end of our bed when the room was done up for Christmas.

Here's another blanket scarf on the back of a chair (it's near the front door so I can grab it if I need it on the way out).

And to add a pop of color in the living room, I threw one over the piano bench. So are you sold on the merits of owning a blanket scarf (and making your own)?! Already a fan? Let me know in the comments.

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Linking up:
Cooking and Crafting with J & J
Creative Mondays

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Wednesday, January 4, 2017

{Project 52} Weeks 48 - 52

I did it! Another yearly photo challenge completed! This year's Project 52 was much easier to accomplish and less daunting than 2015's Project 365 but I kind of miss having the daily photos now that the year is over. We'll see what this year holds. Here are my final week's photos.

48|52 Gathering

49|52 Bokeh

50|52 Numbers (80 Christmas cards to be exact)

51|52 Winter (corsage from a winter formal)

52|52 Joy, Hope, Peace (my mom's birthday party)

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Monday, January 2, 2017

Most Popular Posts of 2016

Happy New Year!! We still have one more day of Christmas break and I'm trying to soak it all in until reality hits tomorrow. Today I'm sharing my most popular posts of 2016, some were your favorites and some were mine. Enjoy!