'twas the night before feasting

This will likely be a two-part series, the follow-up obviously being about the Thanksgiving holiday itself, as well as the official start of Operation Gratitude Attitude. I actually kind of hate works-in-progress, but I am having so much fun with my Thanksgiving cooking contributions I couldn't wait to share.

I'm also having fun with a new favorite thing...
Definitely not a French Martini, but it is an adequate substitute. Apparently, a champagne flute is also an adequate substitute for a martini glass.

Anyway, after running around in the mist and muck all day, I returned home in triumph with the last turkey cookie cutter they had at the restaurant supply store across the street from my home. That store has saved me on prior thanksgivings, when I didn't have the right-sized casserole dish, for example. I played Christmas music on my piano for a little while, then set about chopping peppers and eggplant for my dinner: Cumin-Roasted Eggplant with Sweet Peppers and Chickpeas. The title doesn't really lead to a need for explanation - I think the more astute readers can figure out what was in it...
Since the whole shebang roasted for about a half an hour at the highest heat my oven makes, it definitely needed to sit a while and think about what it did, so while I waited for dinner to cool, I made my first applesauce ever! Chunky Chai Applesauce is not your standard applesauce, but it's still my attempt to bribe my father into willingly consuming a tofu turkey.

before 5 happy Grannies met their fate
after they spent some time with Apple Cider and Spices

It really blew my mind to uncover the pot after those cubes of apple were simmering with the apple cider for 20ish minutes and find that they needed no mashing. It also blew my mind that after adding 1 cup of brown sugar, as well as the chai spices, you can still taste the tartness of the Granny Smith apples.

While I waited for the applesauce to cool so I could store it in tupperware in the fridge, I got to carving my turkeys and heating the marinade. I am so excited to see how this all comes out, I can't even express myself. Of course, that could be the pomegranate martini, too. I will leave you with a picture of my little tofu turkey army and a promise to update on all fronts tomorrow.

Truly the coolest thing I have ever done with tofu

success is sweeter when shared

There are a few ways I know my dinner was a success. One is when Mister goes back for thirds. Another is when he exclaims, only one spoonful into his soup, "This is really good!" Both of those things happened tonight.

I made Potato Corn Chowder from The Accidental Vegan. It was great the first time I made it, but I think it might have been better tonight. Other than being very vigilant not to over-blend with my favorite kitchen appliance, I can't think of what I might have done differently. I did manage to keep myself to only two bowls this time - it may have had something to do with the cake, cookies, and fruit I had happily scarfed down earlier today.
So earlier today, I was surrounded by oodles of [very loud] family at my cousin(-in-law)'s baby shower. She looks great and got tons of adorable baby clothes, and my mother-in-law convinced herself that I'm softening up about having a baby of my own and tried to convince me that I was in denial....merely because I acknowledged that tiny little baby clothes are, in fact, adorable.

I could not eat the vast majority of things offered at the shower, but I more or less gorged myself on a huge fruit bowl and a diverse and well-made salad, as well as a few brownie-cookies and a piece of cake that was much better than I thought it would be. I guess you kind of have to eat cake when it celebrates something. I managed to get only half a piece when I swore I needed room on my plate for cookies and half a fruit tart. Have you seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? It's all true.

As long as we're going back in time, let's roll back the clock another 12 hours or so (maybe more, I'm bad at math). When I got home from work last night, Mister informed me that an old friend of ours was in town and would be coming by. I went from feeling frustrated about the extraordinary amount of time it took me to find parking (45 minutes again) to ecstatic - this was the first time in a looooong time that I we would have a guest for dinner! In fact, last time we shared a meal with a friend, he had to take it to-go! So I happily set about my washing and chopping and steeping and simmering and got to the sizzling part just as the doorbell rang!

look at all those nice browned chunks of tofu!
It didn't run away this time.

After the sizzling, the three of us all sat down together and ate a few bowls of Five-Spice Vegetables and Tofu on Green Tea Rice. All of it - the tofu was there and I used the 5-spice powder instead of cloves. It crossed my mind while I was cooking that our friend might not be a big fan of tofu. Then I remembered that he is one of those precious few people who are merely grateful that someone cared enough to make them food. He ate every last bite and thanked me a few times for dinner. It was just so nice to share a meal with someone so close to our hearts!

One last thing - click here for the recipe, but let me add something. In order to expand the dish a little and ensure there would be enough for the three of us, I used two large carrots, cut on the bias, and then I made apple fries! I had a Granny Smith apple in the fridge that I had intended to turn into half of an apple and brussels sprouts salad, but since I roasted the brussels sprouts and never got more, I decided to cut it into french/freedom fry strips and added them to the stir-fry. Let me just say that Granny Smith apples are most certainly sturdy enough to stand up to a vigorous stirfry and they really absorbed the five-spice and tamari I sprinkled on during cooking.