As a former food blogger who is always adjusting recipes and planning to write cookbooks, I am usually pretty good about posting what I prepared and enjoyed for the holidays, if only to remind myself later when looking for inspiration! (Yes, I do use my own webpages, including my old recipe collections, while I cook.)
This year, Thanksgiving feasting almost didn’t happen: my parents agreed to come the Sunday before, after I’d already put in my grocery order for the week. My Cousin and his partner are core guests, but my Cousin RSVP’d with a photo of his partner’s positive COVID test, which occurred days before the gathering, requiring them to spend Thanksgiving in quarantine. That was enough of a scare to tempt me to cancel it all.
Luckily, I had more than enough food for a feast, and got to take it relatively easy because my friend M joined at the last moment, and she cooked as well! My parents’ drive to the City was smooth and easy, I got to try some great new-to-me dishes, and everything looked gorgeous and tasted even better! (M has similar dietary preferences, I can completely trust anything she makes, AND she is a fantastic cook!)
This year, the feast included:
- sides/snacks: green olives, Kalamata olives, marinated bean salad, cherry tomatoes
- harira soup
- M’s mushrooms with wild rice
- M’s kale, apple, and pecan salad
- mashed potatoes with olive oil and chives
- spaghetti squash with roasted red peppers, capers, and parsley
- beverages: almond nog, sparkling water, herb tea
- desserts: apple-cranberry pie and pumpkin pie (both homemade)
And EVERYTHING was fully vegan and gluten-free.
It was a great meal, a fun afternoon, and a delight.