Last of the Leftovers are Lunch

[lydamorehouse]

I am currently having vegan loaf for lunch. It's not bad, though I always wonder why people who love plants want things that look and taste so much like meat, but I guess lizard brains are lizard brains. 

I just boiled up a big pot of knepfla (a potato noodle that will later be fried in bacon grease) that will either be all of or part of dinner. Technically, the Germans from Russia who make this call it a side dish, but we have been known to toss bacon into the mix and call it a meal. 

There's a few scraps of turkey left, but that will be shredded and frozen to go into soups and such throughout the rest of the year. 

I'm going to make a cake with the leftover vegan sour cream. Then, I just have to figure out what to do with the veganase. 

So, that's a long way around saying that Thanksgiving was very successful. I can't believe that I fed ten people so effortlessly this year. Normally, there is some panicked moments in the kitchen as timing starts to get off or serving dishes can't be found, but this year it felt like everything fell into place like clockwork. I think my yams might have been a touch cold, but that was it. Normally there's something I'm making apologies for secretly wishing I'd cooked longer (or less), but not this year.

The vegans were happily shocked when I told them that the only things they couldn't eat at the table were the actual turkey and the turkey gravy. Literally, all the other sides were available to them, even the bread (except one loaf, which I used an egg wash on to make the crust crispier.) I had, of course, a special vegan roast and vegan gravy just for them. They had their own pie (and so many cookies). And, yet seven other meat eaters couldn't tell the difference, so I'd call that a goddamn miracle. 

We all got along; many board games were played to much enthusiasm; puzzles were puzzled; and an all around good time was had by all.

The house is much quieter now that they've all gone.

The only other thing of note is that Willow decided to be allergic to her sutures and developed a worrying lump under the incision. So, in the middle of the holiday weekend, I had to hurry her off to the vet. Luckily, Dr. Patel recognized the problem right away, told me it was fairly common in cats, and that I should just keep her sedate (ha!) and secluded as things healed. So, she was unhappily shut up in Mason's room for a lot of the Jacksons' visit. But, we designated Mason's room the official nap room, so she got lots of company throughout her solitary confinement. I can't say she was ever sedate, but she doesn't seem to have caused herself any grievous harm. She has another follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, our eldest, Ms. Piggy has decided to start grinding her teeth (Dr. Google says this is probably a sign of cavities) so she's in to see Dr. Patel on Wednesday. 

So, that was my turkey day. How about you?

Comments

[pameladean]

We had a very pleasant smallish dinner. I made the pies, so I could certainly eat all the dessert. David always makes a batch of vegan stuffing for me. My mom was very worried about the mashed potatoes, having decided to just make a vegan version. But everybody who eats them at all just puts gravy on them and everybody was fine with them. Of course they tasted fine to me too. And the usual vegetable dish, leeks and celery braised in broth, has always been vegan and yet devoured all around. I usually make several kinds of roasted vegetables; the issue there isn't whether they're vegan but rather the fact that my mother doesn't like even a hint of heat, as in, black pepper, so the ones with only salt and olive oil have to be labelled. But this year I spent doing belated yard work before the blizzard, so we had a simpler meal.

About the vegan mayo -- if it's the actual brand called Vegenaise, it's quite tasty, though very picky mayo fans may not like it. I use it all the time and feed it to carnivores, in things like tuna salad. Another possible use is to mix it half and half with either Dijon or brown spicy mustard, coat fish filets in that mixture and some flour or bread crumbs, and pan-fry them. I can't pan-fry things worth a damn, but this works better in that regard than a lot of recipes, and it's really good. And if you don't like the way the eggy taste comes out when using mayonnaise for frying, it's actually better. You can also, if nobody in the house objects (people in my house do) spread a thin layer on the outside of the bread used for grilled-cheese sandwiches. It crisps up nicely. I also make raita out of it, as a condiment for Indian food, instead of using yoghurt, but that might be a bridge too far.

P.

[bibliofile]

Another veganase use: substitute for egg + oil in cake recipes.

All this food sounds very tasty.

Putting a cat in the designated nap room? Genius.

[lydamorehouse]

Thanks for the ideas of how to use up the veganase (and, yes, it is the brand name.) I was also thinking of substituting it for regular mayo in a chocolate cake? I'll admit that I want to make deserts out of what's left, but we'll see.... all these savory options also appeal.

The vegan sour cream made for a... dense cake. Not sure I'm impressed, but it was also chocolate-y, so that forgives a lot, if you know what I mean.

[leia_solo]

Sounds yummy! I'm glad your Thanksgiving went well. Ours was okay. Same ol' same ol' except with holiday appropriate foods. XD

[lydamorehouse]

'same ol'..." makes me wonder if I should say "I'm sorry" or "sounds nice." :-)

[leia_solo]

It was okay. But nothing special. I just get kinda grumpy during the holidays. Everything feels the same.