The Holiday Aftermath

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend filled with family and food and joyous times, I know I did!  The aftermath of our Christmas?

All of this:

Is now in our stomachs with a bunch of hearty cookies, tons of feast-y foods, plenty of beverage and a few more candies.  We're looking very much like the Claus himself over here.

More roundup to come, promise!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I know I'm just one of a multitude of bloggers wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving here in the United States, but that doesn't mean that it's any less meaningful :)

I spent all of yesterday afternoon making pumpkin pies from scratch using the same recipe I used last year which you can find here.

I made three standard sized pies (only one homemade crust though, two of them were store bought) and a whole bunch of bite-sized pies, aren't they cute?

Tomorrow, I get to meet my brand new nephew!  And spend all kinds of time with my family eating loads and loads of food and watching Miracle on 34th St.

What are your plans for the weekend?  Fun, friends and relaxing I hope?

Vegetarian Gumbo - A Recipe

Two weeks or so ago Matt asked me to make him some gumbo and I finally got around to it. Now that classes are over and finals are taken care of, I have time to cook again!  I love it :)  I've made some delicious banana bread (or so I'm told, I don't actually like bananas, but my honey loves the bread) and have bought ingredients and supplies to continue making delicious, healthy meals.

Here is the recipe I used/invented for the gumbo, I used mostly what I had on hand and a few "specially bought" items.

T

This photo has most of the ingredients, but not all, the beans were in the crockpot, the okra on the stove, rice in the cooker, etc

Ingredients:
Large Onion - Chopped
Green and Red Bell Peppers - Chopped
Scallions - Chopped (I had them on hand, they needed to be eaten)
1 Cup Carrots - Chopped
4 Celery Stalks - Chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic  - Minced
2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 package (4) Tofurky Kielbasa - Cut length wise then sliced
2 Tbs Oil
1 10 oz package Okra
1 lb Kidney Beans (mine were dry so I cooked them accordingly first)
2 Cups Rice
2 Bay Leaves
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Thyme

• Saute the onion and garlic until soft and yellow
• Add Bell peppers, celery, carrots, scallions and tofurky and saute until tender
• Add tomatoes, undrained and heat until boiling
• Season as desired and lower heat to simmer for 45 minutes-ish
• Cook rice on the side
• When the 45 minutes-ish is up, add rice, okra and kidney beans and heat through
• Serve with loaf of delicious bread 

 So clearly this makes a whole ton of gumbo, but its all good because the food is delicious, filling and pretty healthy.  It will also freeze well so you can make some and save it for later to avoid getting sick of it after eating it for a week straight hehe.

Food-cessories

I have a confession to make. I like food. I really like food. I am particularly fond of salty popcorn, spicy tea, carbohydrates, and sweets of all sorts. I really enjoy organic goat cheese with a glass of dark red wine, or a semi-sweet biscotti with rich, spicy hot chocolate. Food is a big topic with me, I love to cook, I love to eat, I even enjoy going to the grocery store and doing my foodie shopping.

Here are some phenomenal and adorable Etsy Finds that incorporate food into your accessories.

Spaghetti Stiletto by SoleSensations

Tea Ring by SouZouCreations

Cookies Dangle Earrings by PetitPlat

Banana Cream Pie Necklace by Roscata