So Much Christmas

My weekend in a nutshell: so much incredible vegan food, and SO MUCH CHRISTMAS!

H and I kicked it off Friday night with a quiet evening in, with a nice bottle of wine and the movie White Christmas.
Christmas Observed 001

And I had takeout from the Walnut Grille:
Christmas 2 002This was the Nutty Tofu and it was SO GOOD.  The texture of the tofu was absolutely spot-on and the contrast with the nutty crust just made it so much fun to eat.  I really, really enjoyed this.

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that on Saturday morning I treated myself to a very indulgent holiday-themed breakfast!
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Later in the day we finished up some holiday decorating:
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Yup, we’re those people.

I also got a start on the treats we’re going to be giving to our neighbors:
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Chocolate-covered pretzel rods with toasted coconut sprinkled over them.  I’m going to do some with crushed candy canes and some with crushed pistachios too!  I’ll post a picture of the final product when it’s ready for gifting.

While Stewie kept things weird:
Christmas Observed 005I think he just really loves the expression about letting the cat out of the bag and never tires of it.

Then on Sunday, H and I celebrated Christmas with his family.  We did it early this year because not all of us will be able to be together on Wednesday.

Christmas Observed 010Wasn’t it a beautiful holiday table?

It really felt like Christmas Day!  We did breakfast and presents in the morning, then family dinner in the evening.

For appetizers, it was requested that I bring my homemade hummus and I was happy to oblige!  I even dressed this one up in festive red, green, and white (smoked paprika, za’atar, and pine nuts!).
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#hummusisafoodgroup

My mother-in-law had also picked up these veggie pakoras with sweet and sour dipping sauce for an appetizer.  They were great!
Christmas Observed 009

Then for the main course, I enjoyed roasted portabellos, maple sweet potatoes, asparagus, and roasted carrots.
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And after dinner, I got the gift I wanted most–a Patriots victory over the Ravens.  Sidenote: I loathe and despise the Ravens.

Our “fake” Christmas felt really real, so it’s kind of funny to think that tomorrow and Wednesday are the actual holiday.  I still need to put in a little more time in the kitchen (finishing the neighbor gifts mostly, but also I want to bake something fun [maybe cinnamon rolls??] for Christmas morning).  Overall I am ready to just unplug, relax, and enjoy the day!

How was your weekend?