I once again took 2 weeks off from work and drove to Minnesota for the holidays. Heaven forbid I celebrate a holiday without Jakers and Mabel, right!? I had a wonderful time with friends and family. I hadn't seen my two older nieces in a year, so it was SO much fun spending time with them. And my newest niece is only 4 months old, and I hadn't met her until Christmas. Love snuggling that chunky little girl!
Family shot on Xmas Eve
Usually, after 2 weeks at my mom's house, I'm anxious to get back to my own life and have a little breathing room from the fam (I mean that in the nicest way), but this year was different - I could have used another week or two in Minnesota. Although, I was happy to leave the weather behind. SO COLD. I forget how cold it is until I'm back in it. Yikes.
I feel like I ate my way through the trip -- it's just so natural to meet someone for lunch or dinner when you want to catch up. But after 2 weeks, that gets to be a lot of dining out. My mom also made some great vegan options at the holiday meals for me. She seems to be embracing experimenting with vegan recipes, which I am very grateful for. She's a good cook, so I love seeing her try her hand at cruelty-free cuisine. The highlight of this year were her vegan cheesy potato casserole. She made cream of mushroom soup from scratch to make that happen - what a lady. :) I'm trying to get back on track with healthy eating now that I'm back to reality. Just had a buffalo "chicken" wrap and miso soup for dinner. I use the Gardein brand Crispy Tenders and coat them in hot sauce for that wrap. Also makes a great salad with my homemade vegan ranch dressing! So good! (Although, miso soup sounds like a strange pairing, I was craving it, so made a pot.) :)
Anyhow, so I'm back in Boston and happy to be home. Jakers and Mabel were absolute troopers on the drive there and back, but they are pretty happy to be in our little apartment, too. :) They seem to enjoy the adventure for the most part, but after 3,000 miles on the road, they are ready for it to be over with. Amen, guys, amen.
Jakers, enjoying his time riding shot-gun.
I tried a couple of new Christmas cookie recipes this year. I actually veganized a Paula Deen recipe that I saw on the Food Network. (Impressive, right?) They turned out delicious! I'll definitely do these again. Maybe even leave off the crushed candy canes and make them non-Christmas cookies. Check out the recipe, below!
Meemaw's Kitchen Sink Cookies (Veganized)
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- Ener-g Egg Replacement: equivalent of 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup puffed rice cereal
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
- 1 (8-ounce) package toffee bits (I made my own vegan toffee, but you could also just use mini chocolate chips in place of toffee)
- Dark chocolate, for dipping
- 15 peppermint hard candies, crushed, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
Using an electric mixer, cream the margarine and sugars. Scrape the sides of the mixer bowl and beat in the oil, Ener-g egg replacement, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 small additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each one. Slowly beat in the rice cereal, coconut, and oats. Fold in the toffee bits and refrigerate the dough, covered, for 1 hour.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on 2 cookie sheets, leaving at least 1-inch of space around each drop. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
Using a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate. Dip the cookies into the chocolate and sprinkle crushed peppermint to decorate. Allow to cool or serve warm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
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