Thanksgiving 2020 & Easy Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving was a lot different this year but it was still one of my favorite holidays.

Last year we had 33 people and this year we only had 5 but it felt like I made just as many things- just in smaller amounts.

I started a few days  early by cutting up the bread and covering it so it could get stale for the stuffing.

Two days before,   I shopped for flowers and produce. I was trying to coordinate the flowers with this old family china that I never get to use. 

I also broke out this old recipe from a Hallmark brochure. It is the easiest cranberry sauce ever.

 I adjusted mine a little bit this year, using an 8 oz bag of fresh cranberries instead of a 12 oz bag and cutting the sugar down.  I used 1/2 cup of pure cane sugar. 

I think it's such a smart idea to toast the walnuts on top of the baking cranberry/sugar mixture in the last 15-20 minutes of baking (see recipe notes).

I used about 8 ounces of orange marmalade and the juice of 1/2 lemon. I also added a dash of vanilla extract.  After it was all mixed up, I put it in a serving dish and wrapped it up tightly then refrigerated it  until Thanksgiving.

I made a double batch of this I Can't Believe It's Vegan Gravy.  It's always a winner!

This Best Vegan  Broccoli Salad Ever is a favorite and I can make it a day ahead which is a bonus!

I also prepped this Vegan Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Tart.

Here was our little table for Thanksgiving.   We did a test run to see how it would all look the night before.

On the day of we made everything else. Of course Mr. Click made  the mashed potatoes.

City Girl made the dinner rolls (her version came out way better than ours did, look how fluffy!).

We broke open the Trader Joe's Cranberry Secco. 

I wasn't going to do any appetizers but I made a tiny charcuterie.

Some delicious veggies roasting in the oven (also made by City Girl).

The stuffed Gardein roast was so good (and easy--just bake and eat!).

Here's my vegan version of Pioneer Woman's Stuffing/Dressing.

 A little bit of the buffet(my mother in law brought the turkey).

My plate(s) of goodness.

It was all so yummy! After dinner I popped the tart in the oven and made the salted caramel sauce for the top.

We served it with ice cream.   How was your Thanksgiving?

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{Travel} Virginia Gig & North East Maryland

I got  to tag along on a business trip with Mr. Click last month. 

I'm always up for a little getaway, especially these days!  I got a good sun flare selfie while we were stopped for lunch and he was on a call.

Our hotel was near the Washington & Old Dominion walking trail in Virginia so we had a beautiful place to walk and explore each day.

I'm excited that they're adding more rail trails to our county at home too.  We were having some gorgeous, unseasonably warm days so it was great to be outside and enjoying them.

We had lunch outside at  Uncle Julio's (I miss UJ!). The veggie fajitas were  so good!

Mr. Click was also  playing at the industry event with his "work band".  It was held at a brewery that seemed like a great place to  hang out.  
The event benefited veterans and the organization Wreaths Across America.  There were two really great speakers and then the band went on.

It was fun to see him play again! 

The next day we started heading  home and got our first holiday Starbucks cup of coffee.

We were taking our time getting  home and stopped at the cute town of North East, Maryland.  We had driven though the town once before during this vineyard trip but wanted to stop this time and look around.  We had lunch here on the porch of the Pour House.

I noticed this pomegranate tree at the house next door. I'd never seen a pomegranate tree before!

The town had lots of pretty houses and stores.

It was another beautiful day for walking around.

We went into a few shops but didn't find anything to take home with us.

Santa's  House was a nice idea. Kids can visit with Santa on weekends here during the holiday season. He wasn't there yet because it was early November.

This was the cutest store but I restrained myself from buying anything.

It was definitely my kind of store. I think it was called  Cottage  Chic.

So much holiday goodness!  After our visit to North  East we made our way home. It's always good to get back home after a trip!

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{Recipe} Vegan Tater Tot Hot Dish

Have you ever had Tater Tot Hot Dish? I think it's Midwestern in origin and I discovered a tofu version of it a few years ago when I made Vegan Stoner's Tater Hot Dish.  The traditional recipe is made with ground beef and cream of mushroom soup so I set out to veganize it and make it a bit healthier. 

Ingredients:

1 package beefless crumbles (I like Trader Joe's or Gardein brands)

1/2  onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2  cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 head of  cauliflower,  chopped & steamed (I used cauliflower rice for this)

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup  nutritional yeast

1  cup vegetable broth

1 package Tater Tots (you won't use them all)

salt/pepper to taste

To make:

• Preheat oven to 425ºF.
• Sauté onion in some water (or oil)over  medium heat until translucent.
• Add beefless crumbles and break up in pan, heating through. Add minced garlic and continue cooking for a  few more minutes until fragrant adding more water (or oil) to keep from sticking.

• Add mixed vegetables and heat through until  warm.

• Combine steamed cauliflower, cashews,  nutritional yeast and broth in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt/pepper as needed.

• Spread "meat" mixture into a casserole dish.
• Add creamy sauce and spread over the mixture.

• Arrange tater tots over the cream sauce. You can add as many or few as you like.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until tater tots are golden brown.

• Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

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Some Festive Trader Joe's Finds

The Trader Joe's seasonal items seem to be flying off of the shelves so if I happen to see one that I want, I grab it.

This is a huge bottle of sparkling wine. I thought it would be fun for Christmas.

I'm not sure if this would still be in stock at your TJ's but if it is and you  like curry--it's a good one!
 

I was excited to try the Almond Beverage Chocolate Bar.  It was good but I'm more of a dark chocolate fan.   If you're missing milk chocolate and don't eat dairy, this  is for you!

I wasn't sure about the Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups at first but they've grown on me.   They are free of six major allergens so they'd be great for anyone who  needs to watch out for them.

Now that we have a grand kitty, I had to get him his own Advent  calendar.  We'll see if he likes the treats next month.

We're not having green bean casserole for Thanksgiving but I've still found lots of ways to use these crispy Gourmet Fried Onion Pieces.  I've been tossing them onto salad, pasta, roasted veggies and potatoes.  So good!

We loved the grapefruit version of this prosecco last Christmas, so I'm hoping the cranberry will be just as  tasty for Thanksgiving.

Mr. Click picked up this cute little guy for his throat when he had a gig recently.
Have you found any fun seasonal items at TJ's lately?

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