Thanksgiving 2010

Picture: Some of the Thanksgiving food, my cousin Felisha and my Grandmother in the left hand corner. :)

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays. I love the fact that my family gets together and I usually get to see cousins that I haven't seen in at least a year or more. This year was no different. I got to see my brothers, several aunts and uncles and several cousins that I hadn't seen in about 3 years.

Our trip from Texas to Florida began on Sunday morning. The drive is long and we break it up by staying the night with my Aunt in Baton Rouge. This time we took our new puppy Alex. The poor thing had motion sickness before we had been traveling and hour and managed to get sick 3 times before we ever got to my Aunt's house. I'm wondering if we should just keep him out of the car, or just take him along on errands more often. Any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated!

We got to my Mom's house on Monday afternoon and the fun began. My dad bowls and so we met him at the bowling alley and spent a little time with him.

On Tuesday we had a family photo shoot on the beach. I look forward to sharing some of those photos soon.

Wednesday was cooking day. Since we are vegan, there is pretty much nothing that my Grandmother cooks that we eat, so I always prepare something for my family. This year I made Fried Chickn Seitan (found in Vegan Comfort Food by Alicia Simpson) and Tofu Pecan Meatballs. For dessert I made a double layer sweet potato cheesecake using the recipe found here.

I normally am not big into meat substitutes, but my daughter asked me if I would make a chicken substitute to help her resist the urge to have a piece of fried chicken! Let me tell you that the Fried Chickn Seitan recipe did not disappoint! It was fairly easy to make and equally delicious.

Thanksgiving day was great as always. Packing 30 people into a house that wasn't designed for more than 10 or so, is not so inconvenient when you genuinely love (and like) the people that you are packed in with.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for life, family and friends. Praise God for all the wonderful things that He has blessed me with and for the frame of mind to appreciate them. My prayer is that every day of my life will be a day of Thanksgiving!